


She Is Love

by SparkleFics



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternative Universe - No Island, Betrayal, Coming of Age, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Self-Discovery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 117,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7589908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkleFics/pseuds/SparkleFics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Who made sure that our parents are capable of deciding what's best for us? When they choose our school, are they aware of how it'll change us forever?<br/>It doesn't matter how old we are, we can always make our decisions. It's our responsibility to make our own choices. But will we have to courage to actually do it?</p><p>Or The story of how High School changes you forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1st Day

**Author's Note:**

> Finally decided to write this story. High School AU because I love them. This is my take on my favorite Argentinian novela with Arrow characters. I wrote this because the parallels between these stories are fantastic. Characters are similar but the plot isn't 100% the same.  
> This is my first time writing anything fanfic related, be gentle with me. All mistakes are mine.  
> I do not own any of the characters in this story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet Felicity Smoak.

"Okay Mom... So here's what you need to know about Elite Way School (EWS) it's a boarding school full of rich snotty kids, usually sons and daughters of the most important people of Starling City, hence, Elite Way School. The school uniform, they're a little pretentious so they have a casual wear and a formal wear uniform. Ugh. Casual Uniform: White Button down shirt, red white and blue striped ties, blue jeans for the boys and denim skirts (knee length) red blazers. Formal Uniform: Light Blue Button down, solid red tie, black slacks for the guys, black skirt (knee length) for the girls and black blazers. It's kinda patronizing with the whole girls have to wear skirts thing. They're old school, but it is the twenty-first century after all...everything can change. So...what do you think?" Felicity ended her ramble about the school in Starling City she'd been researching for months.

"Hmmm...so is this the one in Starling City? The one you've been telling me about?" Donna asked as she settled down on the bed next to Felicity.

"Yep. And I already checked, with all the homeschooling from the past year I'd actually be a year ahead. So I'd be a junior...but if I take some extra credit I can actually graduate early with this senior class." Felicity added.

Donna hesitated for a couple of seconds before asking, "Wow. Honey, don't you think you're getting a little ahead of yourself?"

"Mom, I've been thinking about this the whole year... if I wanna go to MIT, which I do, I'll need an edge on my college applications. And being homeschooled for a year is really putting a dent on it. And the whole daughter of a Vegas showgirl doesn't add much either." Felicity winces after realizing what she just said to her mom.

"I understand. I hear what you're saying but...are you really sure this is what you want? You're 15 years old! I think you're far too young to be thinking about college."

Felicity took a deep breath and took Donna's hands in hers "...Mom, I could've died from the accident. But I didn't, and I've been in this wheelchair, and you know I'll make a full recovery. I'm lucky Mom. Not everyone gets a second chance, but I did, which means that I have to take it. "

"You're right. Oh, honey when did you grow up? You're so mature. I'm so proud of you. I love you." Donna said while squeezing the life out of her daughter in a tight hug.

"I love you too, mom. Mom... MOM! I need air!"

"So how's this going to work? What's it gonna cost me?" Donna asked trying to be more serious.

Felicity went on about her plan to apply for a scholarship for EWS. She figured that being on a scholarship would look even better than attending that specific school on her college applications. Donna was more concerned with Felicity's recovery than anything else, so they worked out a plan about how would Felicity continue her PT treatment. They talked to her doctor and since Felicity was making great progress, the doctor assured them that by the time the semester rolled around Felicity would be able to walk around for a little while, so she would be able to be more independent. Felicity would be able to shower and dress herself, that was one of the details that had Donna very concerned.

Felicity was extremely happy to hear from EWS's principal Quentin Lance a week before the start of the semester. He wanted to meet with Felicity and her mom to talk about the school and the scholarship. And rules. Because rules were very strict in this school.

Felicity got a tour of the school and it was everything and more than she expected it to be. The class rooms were big enough that each student had a desk, a full on desk with laptops. The school had a golf course, both indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, basketball court, Football and soccer fields, game room, study hall, library, computer lab which Felicity appreciated. It was over the top ridiculous. The dorms were outstanding too. Each dorm room had 3 beds and desks for each student. The room had a second level with closets and a full bathroom. The dorms also had community showers but you could still have privacy in your own room. Donna was very pleased with what she saw that day and felt more at ease that this was a safe place for Felicity.

Felicity was all set for her first day of school, she had her bag, notebooks, tablet, books and her uniform. She was not down with the skirts, and it's not that she doesn't like them it's more of a principle thing, but she had to make a good first impression so she had to play by the rules. Felicity memorized her class schedule, first up was Ethics, which she was excited about since the elite of Starling City seemed to have a flexible take on their ethics. 

* * *

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" Felicity apologized after accidentally rolling over a girl's foot. 

"Just watch where you're going!" The girl muttered.

As Felicity was rolling away from the scene of crime she heard "Since when did Elite Way School start taking on charity cases? I mean first the scholarship kids and now we have cripples rolling around? Jeez!"

Felicity didn't say anything, which wasn't like her at all. But this was the first time this ever happened to her. Normally people pitied her but no one had ever been rude towards her.

Finally, it was the last period, which meant that it was time for Physics. Once she got settled in her desk she was able to focus on class. When Professor Stein was taking the attendance she noticed the girl she had accidentally run over was actually on her class. McKenna Hall , that was the girl's name. Felicity made sure to keep that in mind for some late night research of her classmates. 

After class was over Felicity made her way back to the dorms. When she entered her room she met her roommates, the Lance sisters.

"Hi! I'm Laurel and this is my sister Sara." Laurel broke the ice.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you. My name is Felicity, Felicity Smoak."

"We normally don't get roommates. How come you got stuck here with us? What's up with your legs?" Sara asked staring at Felicity.

"Sara!" Laurel was quick to scold her sister. "I'm sorry about that. My dad, he is the principal, told me about you and your...situation. So I left you that bed over there, it's the one closest to the bathroom. But if that doesn't work for you we can totally switch." Laurel addressed Felicity.

"That works. Thanks." Felicity answered back. "And I was assigned this dorm, not a particular reason that I know of. I am here on scholarship though, if that means anything to you."

"As for my legs...they work. Everything works down there. I mean not that you asked or needed to know but... it works. I had an accident about a year ago, the doctors said I'd make a full recovery but it would take time. I just started walking about a month ago or so. I'm not able to stand for long periods of time but at least now I can shower by myself, and go to the bathroom and dress myself."

"I like her." Sara said to her sister. "Well that's good to know, Felicity. If you ever need anything...we have an in with the principal...and with the history teacher. She's our mom."

"You seem to be the nicest people here. Thank you. I can tell I'm gonna like it here."Felicity admitted to the Lance sisters.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER ONE!

 


	2. The Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not a threat it's a warning. How things get done in Starling City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're diving right into the action. We'll know more about the characters as the story progresses. We'll see the story through various POVs, some chapters might not be Olicity centric but I know you'll enjoy them. I'll let you know at the beginning of each chapter what you're in for. :) Thanks for reading.

Hacking: now that's another way to get information. People lie, computers don't. She learned that from her father.

That night she was looking into this McKenna Hall girl that was bad mouthing the scholarship kids. It didn't take much effort to hack into the school's network. She was browsing through the files when she came across an old scholarship application. The applicant: McKenna Hall. Smart girl, straight A's, daughter of detective Hall of the SCPD. Apparently she got her start on EWS as a scholarship kid, but once her parents were able to afford tuition they made it happen. This was interesting. Felicity knows and understands people, something she learned from standing by observing people. She can easily deduce why people act and behave the way they do. It makes perfect sense that McKenna adapted to her surroundings, blending in with the elite you have to behave like them. Felicity goes deep into her analysis of McKenna and decides to let her know just how much they have in common.

* * *

Felicity was getting dressed and as she was looking at her uniform she kept thinking that it was unfair that girls had to wear skirts. She kept glancing back at her closet wondering what would happen if she wore jeans.

"Has anyone ever tried to change the rules?" Felicity wondered out loud.

"About?" Laurel asked.

"These gender normative uniforms." Felicity said while pulling up her skirt.

"Oh, yeah. I tried once but I got shut down. I even wrote a letter to the school board but they dismissed it. They like to maintain the status quo." Laurel explained.

"Well we should do something about that status quo. Hey, where's Sara?"

"She must've gone to breakfast already. Let's go we don't wanna be late." Laurel said as they made their way out of the room.

* * *

Felicity was getting some books from her locker when she noticed a familiar face. She made her way over. Felicity poked the girl's back to get her attention.

McKenna turned around, "What? Did you want to run over my feet again?"

Felicity smiled, a knowing smile like the ones you make when you're keeping a secret "No, I just came to tell you that you might wanna be more careful about what you say around us crippled scholarship kids."

McKenna was shocked by Felicity's boldness but tried to keep her composure.

"I think we may have more things in common than what you want everybody here to think." Felicity kept going on a roll. "I may know some details, things one might want to keep secret around the _elite_. Do you understand?"

McKenna finally opened her mouth "Are you threatening me?"

"Oh no! It's not a threat... consider it a warning."

"I'm gonna give you some advice on how to survive in this school. There are some people you _do not_ want to piss off. There are people in the _elite_ as you say, that don't like the scholarship kids and-"

"Is that why you pretend you weren't one?" Felicity interrupted.

 "You have no idea what you've just done." McKenna said giving Felicity a hateful stare and walked away.

* * *

McK: Would you do me a favor?

OQ: Will you be returning this favor? ;) ;)

McK: 7 minutes in heaven? ;-)

OQ: Yeah. What do you need?

McK: The new girl has been giving me trouble. She's the one sitting in front of you.

OQ: Want me to scare her off?

McK: Yes, please.

OQ: Done deal. Meet you at the library, after dinner.

McK: The usual corner?

OQ: :)

* * *

"Hey!" A voice startled Felicity. She looked over her shoulder to see where it came from. Behind her sits a tall, sandy blond, blue eyed boy with a chiseled jaw. Text book pretty boy. Felicity is already annoyed with his perfect semblance. _Entitled trust fund baby_ Felicity thought to herself. "What?" she answered abruptly.                                                                                      

"You wouldn't happen to be the one that's been causing trouble to McKenna, right?" The guy asks.

Felicity glares at him..."What are you, He-man? Coming to the rescue?"

"Oliver Queen." He answered back.

"And that's supposed to mean something to me?" Felicity asked honestly curious.

"You don't wanna find out." Oliver said with a tone of finality. "You've been warned."

"You're gonna rue this. Oh and by the way rue means regret. And I promise, you won't forget my name: Felicity Smoak."

Felicity turns back around to pay attention to class. Annoyed and surprised at how things work among the _elite_. Not even a week has gone by and she's already been threatened twice. Surprising really, considering they're all teenagers and are already behaving like corrupt politicians. Looks like Felicity has some more digging to do.

* * *

Felicity was comfortably sitting on her bed, tablet in hand, she was ready to do some research. So she hacked into the school's servers again, looking for some dirt on Oliver Queen. His record is clean, suspiciously, way too clean. So far the only thing she knows about him is what could be found on the internet without hacking; he's Starling City's mayor's son. He has a little sister, 7 year old Thea Queen. His mother, Moira Queen is the CEO of Queen Consolidated. Before deciding to hack his phone or his computer Felicity asks Laurel for information.

"Hey, what's the deal with Oliver Queen?" Felicity asked trying to be casual about it.

Laurel spun around on her desk chair, away from her homework. "Whoa now. He is not a guy you wanna be interested in. He's all about the good times, parties, alcohol, drugs, girls-" Laurel gets interrupted mid-speech by Felicity.

"Oh no! That's not why I'm asking. I don't do trust fund babies anyways." Felicity mumbled that last part.

"Then why'd you ask?"

Felicity told Laurel about the incident with McKenna and about her "research". She explained how Oliver threatened her and now she was trying to gain some leverage over him, but she couldn't find any dirt on the school's servers. Laurel told Felicity how money made certain things happen or not happen and that if she wanted real dirt she'd have to look for it elsewhere.

So Felicity did. And she was unimpressed by the half-assed projects Oliver had on his hard drive. Nothing caught her attention. The only thing that captivated her was his music library. And he had some pictures of himself hanging out with his sister at an amusement park.

Felicity was about to give up when she came across what had to be the inception equivalent of subfolders. She kept going folder to subfolder to subfolder until she found one named _kjfhdkgf._ Felicity laughed at the sight of it. She almost didn't go through it but the fact that it was hidden in so many subfolders; her intuition told her that whatever was in that folder it was important. And even better a secret.

By the time she made her way into the folder hours had passed. It was lights out and both Laurel and Sara were asleep. So Felicity made sure to not make any noise and draw attention to what she was doing. And she was not expecting to find an audio file buried in folders.

 _I thought I'd gone over his music library already_ she wondered. She got her headphones and pressed play on the file named _Yellow- Coldplay_. It was an acoustic version of the song, played with one guitar. Felicity knows Coldplay and she knows such song as this one does not exists--And that's not Chris Martin's voice.

Oh My God! Oliver Queen can sing?!

He's got a beautiful voice. Felicity was not expecting that. This was quite the development. This was obviously something he kept secret, which means that Felicity has leverage. Felicity went to sleep with a smile that made her cheeks hurt.

* * *

It wasn't until lunchtime that Felicity spotted Oliver. She made her way over to where he was standing by his locker. "Hey He-man, you got a minute?"

Oliver turned around to face her and when he looked down at her Felicity could've sworn she saw something flash in his eyes, like a mix of confusion and shame. He regained his composure. "Can't get enough of me?" He asked as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I just came to clear up some things. I just came to explain to you what really happened with your flavor of the month, McKenna Hall. Not that I owe you such explanation but here goes. I accidentally ran over her feet with my chair, she was rude to me. So I let her know that she might want to be careful around us scholarship crippled kids. By the way, remember how I told you that you'd regret threatening me? Normally I wouldn't get down to your level of scummyness but you've left me no choice. I guess that's how things work with the _elite_."

"Stop beating around the bush and come out with it!" Oliver was getting annoyed. "I'm not someone who you want to piss off. I've got connections. I can make things happen, especially to you scholarship kids."

Felicity scoffed "You mean your parents' money can make things happen. Anyways, the point is _I_ can make things happen too. Like for example, I know some secrets, which BTW is how McKenna got pissed at me, like it's my fault she has secrets!" Felicity while shrugging.

Oliver got down to Felicity's level, towering over her as if to intimidate her. "It doesn't matter where my money comes from, what I want, I get; I make it happen. And right now there's nothing I want more than to see you out of my school."

"It's funny you'd say that cause I got something that you might want. Did you know that Yellow is my favorite Coldplay song?" Oliver's eyes got wide and his face paled. This could not be happening to him. How could she possibly know about his singing?

Felicity held up her finger as to prevent him from interrupting her "I know secrets but I can also keep them. It's up to you whether or not other people get to enjoy your whale calls."

Oliver was furious. His face was all red and veins popping out, 3 seconds out from going all exorcist on Felicity. He glanced up and saw his father advancing in their direction. "Hi, dad. I'm just getting acquainted here with my new friend, Felicity."

Felicity turned around to face the man. "Oh wow. Mr. Queen. The mayor fraternizing with us commoners, how rare. I'm Felicity Smoak." Robert Queen looked impressed by Felicity's bravado.

"It's very nice to meet you, Felicity. Something going on here?" He asked looking between his son and Felicity.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Felicity said signaling towards Oliver. "I gotta go." Felicity excused herself.

* * *

  
END OF CHAPTER 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 3 and 4 are coming soon, hopefully they'll be up by Sunday.  
> You can look forward to Douchebag!Oliver ;) but don't worry, he has his reasons. Also quick side note, the parents are a key component to this story so you'll see more of them in upcoming chapters.


	3. Dress Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver Queen. Blackmail. Teamwork. Diggle sighting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are being set in motion.

Oliver rolled his eyes "Why are you here, dad?"

"Can't your old man come and visit you at school? "

Oliver defensively crossed his arms in front of his chest "You never visit unless you need something from me. What is it?"

"Straight to business, I like that. Looks like you're finally learning."

Robert never misses an opportunity to belittle Oliver. He always expects more from Oliver, more than what he can be. Oliver is to become either Mayor of Staling City just like his father, or CEO of Queen Consolidated like his mother. His father is campaigning for a second run at being mayor and this means everything to him. His political career is more important to him than his own family. Robert is very manipulative and whatever he wants, he gets.

"I came to tell you that I just had a talk with Principal Lance about a special permit that will allow you to go out on weekdays' afternoons, for you to be there for my campaign activities. The whole family is going to be there and so will you. "

"...okay." If Oliver could figure out a way to win over his father, even just once, he'd do anything in his power to make it happen. He figures if his father approved of at least one thing he did he'd get him off his back.

"That's quite a friend you got there." Robert observed. "Bold, brave. Those are dangerous. The smart ones are always trouble. You like her?"

_Window of opportunity!_

Oliver hesitated "Sure" he said not at all convinced.

"She's not your usual type, son. I'd be impressed if you actually managed to win her over."

* * *

Later that night a knock on the door pulled Laurel from her homework. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Oliver standing on the other side.

"Oliver! You're not supposed to be here!"

"I need to talk to Felicity."

"No. Do you know the kind of trouble we'd get into if someone found you here?" Laurel was quick to remind Oliver of the rules.

"Oh, please as if you'd ever get in trouble, Lance." Oliver retorted. "Where's Felicity?" He said ignoring Laurel's reminder and walked in the room.

"She's in the shower. She should be out any minute now."

"Stand outside and be my lookout."

"Fine, but if anything happens I'm throwing you under the bus." Laurel warned and walked outside.

Oliver took in the room. He spotted Felicity's wheelchair besides her bed. To Oliver it doesn't make sense how can Felicity be in the shower when her chair is on the first level of the room and the shower is upstairs in the second level. And how'd she get up there anyways? A confused Oliver made his way up the spiral staircase to the second floor where the closets and seating area were. Oliver had barely taken a seat when the door on the corner opened and Felicity walked out.

_FELICITY WAS WALKING?!_

Felicity was still drying her hair, the towel hanging over her head. She hadn't noticed Oliver. Oliver was _seeing her_ for the first time. She was wearing short pajama pants that somehow made her legs look long even though she was barely 5ft 5in. Oliver found himself staring too much and before he could complete his thoughts he made his presence in the room known by clearing his throat.

Felicity removed the towel from her head and focused on Oliver. Oliver? "What the hell are you doing here?"

"We have to talk. Have you been faking this whole time?!"

"No, I actually need the chair. Last year I was going to visit my mom at work when some idiot hit me with his car. Not that I owe you any explanations."

"But how come you use a chair?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"There's something called science and medicine. Rumor has it they make miracles. The accident didn't leave any permanent damage so I will be able to walk again."

"Oh." Oliver felt like a douche. Here's this poor girl that got hit by a car and ended up in a wheelchair for a year, and he just accused her of lying about it. He's not one to apologize for anything, not even when he's wrong. He wanted to apologize but didn't know how. Thank god Felicity started to walk towards the stairs, so he didn't have to apologize right now, maybe not ever.

"So what did you want to talk about? Where's Laurel?" Felicity made her way down the stairs and once she settled on her bed she noticed Laurel was gone.

"She's on lookout." Oliver explained. "My dad wants you to have dinner with us next week."

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it? You're just agreeing, just like that?" Oliver was not convinced she knew what she was getting herself into.

"Yep."

"You do know I'm _NOT_ asking you out on a date, right?" Oliver felt the need to clarify that because he couldn't believe Felicity agreed that easily. He didn't even have to bribe her. Did _she_ want to have dinner with _him_?

Felicity rolled her eyes. "It is amazing how dumb you are. First, I don't want to date you so get over yourself, you're not _all_ _that_. Second, I'm getting something out of this and third I still have all the power."

"And what is it that you want to get out of this?"

Felicity thought about it for a second, she was going to use this dinner opportunity to get more intel on Oliver and his family. But she wasn't going to reveal that to him so she just told him that she'd need his help and his connections with everybody on the school. "I have some stuff to do at this school. Changes need to be made and I'm gonna need all the help I can get to make it happen. And you are connected to almost everyone in the student body, so I've heard, so you are going to help me."

"And if I don't?"

"Did you forget about the part where I know about you're whale calling hobby?" Felicity could not believe how moronic this boy is.

"Fine. What's the plan?" Oliver surrendered.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside Laurel was standing watch on the lookout when Sara comes back to their room.

"Why are you standing outside, you weirdo?" Sara asked as Laurel was blocking the door. Sara reached for the door.

"You can't go in there!"

"Why not?"

"There's a spider! It's huge!!" Laurel was lying through her teeth even though she knew Sara would see right through it.

"What's really going on?" Sara was getting impatient.

"Felicity is in there-"

"So why can't we be in there?" Sara cut in.

"with Oliver." Laurel finished almost whispering it.

"And you let her be alone with that whore?!" Sara demanded an excuse. She couldn't believe Laurel would cover for Oliver.

"Sara! Language!" Laurel scolded her sister. "And I actually think she likes him."

The door opened and Oliver walked out. "Laurel, Sara. Goodnight."

* * *

"I was reading the written assignment about what ethics mean to you, and-" Professor Diggle, the ethics teacher was interrupted by one of the kids.

"Did you grade them already?"

"Umm. No, because in this class the assignments are about your thoughts on certain topics and I can't grade them. Right or wrong, they're your thoughts." Mr. Diggle explained.

The bell rang and everyone was bolting out the door. Felicity was still gathering her things when Mr. Diggle spoke up "I particularly enjoyed your assignment, Felicity. You see the world differently. Your honesty is refreshing."

"Thanks. Actually, Mr. Diggle--"

"Diggle's good. You can call me Digg if you want."

"Okay, Diggle. I've been meaning to do something about these uniforms. Laurel, Laurel Lance told me how she appealed to the school board but they dismissed her. So I was thinking if we make it a group effort we might get them to change the rules. Do you think we can make it happen?"

"There's strength in numbers. I'm positive you'll make it happen."

Felicity continued to share her plan with Diggle. He gave his opinion and made some suggestions.

* * *

 

Three days later the plan of civil disobedience came to fruition. Almost everyone in school was going with the plan: the girls were wearing jeans and the boys were wearing skirts. The senior class was having a sit in when Principal Lance showed up he demanded the masterminds heads. Oliver and Felicity conceded and admitted that they were behind this whole plan. They went into Lance's office and they discussed why they were breaking the rules. They made their case and won. They got the school board to change the dress code. From now on it was optional, boys and/or girls had the freedom to choose whether they want to wear their uniform with the skirt or with jeans. The rules apply to both casual and formal uniforms, the length of the skirts still remains the same.

* * *

  
END OF CHAPTER 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4: coming soon either later today or tomorrow.  
> Expect that Queen family dinner, Parents, The Lances, Felicity's PT.  
> P.S. Robert Queen is the biggest douche. You'll love to hate him :D


	4. Remarkable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lances, Felicity's PT, Parents and Queen family dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite this chapter twice. I hope I did a good job. Chapters are getting longer...whoops.

Laurel woke up an hour earlier than usual, but went ahead with her daily routine. Brushed her teeth, showered, got dressed, out the door she went. 15 minutes that's all it took, her routine was infallible. She was headed to her father's office and she could already hear the heated discussion between her mom and dad. She paused by the assistant's desk to gather up some courage before barging in.

"This has to stop! Either fix this or get a divorce. It's not embarrassing enough being one of the daughters of the school principal and the history teacher, you also have to air your dirty laundry at school."

"Laurel, honey. I'm sorry, your father and I were just discussing that." Dinah tried to explain but didn't get a chance to as Laurel stormed out of the office.

Laurel didn't even notice that she wasn't alone in the dining hall nor the fact that she was also crying. It wasn't until a tissue made its way into her field of view that she looked up and saw Tommy Merlyn.

"Are you okay?"

Laurel took the tissue and dried her tears. "If you tell anyone about this," she warned before explaining.

Tommy raised one of his hands in surrender "I swear, I won't say anything. You mind if I sit?" He asked signaling to the spot beside her.

Laurel sighed "Go ahead." Tommy took his seat and settled his tray with his breakfast and a second cup of coffee.

"So what's wrong?" Tommy asked sliding a cup of coffee to Laurel.

By the looks of it whatever was troubling her was unpleasant to talk about. Tommy didn't know much about comfort. When he was 7 his mother was murdered and soon after that his father shut down and threw himself into work, he didn't get any comfort from him. The only comfort he got was provided by the Queen family, mainly Oliver. Tommy knew how to be a friend, probably it's the only thing he's good at. It's not that Tommy is a horrible human being, it's that no one ever gives him the chance to prove otherwise. He hesitated before placing his hand on Laurel's back and rub circles, that seemed soothing.

Laurel took the coffee "Thanks." She took a deep breath, "Looks like my parents are finally getting a divorce." Her voice breaking, "and I shouldn't be happy, but I am. I'm glad they're getting a divorce, they've been miserable for years."

Laurel was breaking down before his eyes and he didn't know how to handle it. "Oh, god. Please don't cry!" Tommy pulled Laurel into his chest for a hug. He held her while she cried. Looking around to make sure no one saw her but it was so early there wasn't anyone else around other than the dining hall attendants.

"I'm sorry. It just hit me, this is really happening. The divorce, I've been waiting for it, actually hoping for it to happen but...it still hurts." Laurel looked up blinking through the tears blurring her vision.

Tommy leaned back and took Laurel's face in both hands. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her eyes were red and puffy. He wished he could do anything to make it stop. "I can't handle it if you cry." He brushed the falling tears with the pads of his thumbs. Laurel was breathless at Tommy's display of affection, she tried to not read much into it. She tried to stop crying and looked down again. She settled in the crook of Tommy's neck and tightened her hold on him.  

After a couple of minutes passed and Laurel somewhat had calmed down Tommy tried to lighten the mood. "Laurel," Tommy leaned back to put some distance between them, "you should go fix your makeup. You look like a panda, a cute one. But a panda after all."

A laugh escaped her lips, "thanks, Tommy." He was glad he could at least made her smile.

"For what?" he feigned confusion, "this never happened."

"Thank you," she whispered as she smiled and stood up.

"Anytime," he answered as Laurel retreated from the dining hall.

* * *

That afternoon, after class, Quentin and Dinah sat down with Sara and explained what was going to happen.

Quentin decided to ease into it, "baby, you know your mom and I have been having a hard time. We-" Dinah interrupted,"-Honey, your dad and I are getting a divorce."

Sara was at a loss for words. "W-wh--how...I mean..."

"Baby, you know we love you and Laurel, but it's best if your mom and I aren't together anymore." He brought his arms around Sara's shoulders and dropped a kiss on her forehead.

Dinah explained to Sara how bad things were. They'd been fighting a lot and couldn't see eye to eye anymore and before they knew it, the love had fizzled out. They did try to make it work, they'd gone to therapy and that's where they acknowledged the fact that the love was gone. They were basically a couple of friends, who had kids together but just didn't love each other. They were looking out for their daughters; Laurel and Sara would be the ones getting hurt if they'd continued their failed marriage. Some things just didn't work out and others couldn't be fixed.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Laurel made her way back to the dorm. Once inside, she plopped down on her bed releasing a deep sigh.

"Something wrong?" Felicity asked concern filled her voice.

"I've been getting a lot of that today." Felicity rolled over and made her way over to Laurel's bed. "My parents are finally getting a divorce."

"I'm sorry." Felicity took a hold of Laurel's hand.

"It's okay. I'm okay with it. I saw it coming a mile away, hell I was wishing it would happen. I'm worried about Sara. I know she's not gonna take it well."

"Would you like me to talk to her? Did I ever tell you guys that my parents are divorced?" Felicity wondered out loud.

"Yeah, that'd be helpful. And no, you never really talk about your family, why is that?"

"You know what? I have an idea." Felicity started to move around the room, "I'll invite Sara to go with me to my PT session, I was going to anyways I always get so bored, and when we get back we can have girls night. We can talk about your stuff with your parents and I can tell you about mine. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great. Thanks Felicity. You're a great friend."

* * *

 

The progress Felicity has made is incredible, but before she is allowed to walk around full time she has to build up the strength of her muscles. And while they'd been working on that for the past two months it was time for a new workout regime. Her PT would oversee her workouts for the first week, there at the hospital in The Glades, before allowing Felicity to do the workouts on her own. Once her PT was satisfied with the progress she could workout at the school's gym and still come by once a week for a checkup.  

* * *

The girls arrived at school and were making their way back to the dorms. They were passing through the locker hallway, almost completely empty save for a couple of familiar faces including one very familiar, McKenna Hall.

"Hey, my friend Nyssa and a couple other girls from my class are going to the movies this Saturday night, you wanna come?" Sara asked.

"Agh!" Felicity complained, "I'd love to but I already promised Oliver I'd have dinner with his family on Saturday."

"Oooh!" Sara teased, "meeting the parents already? I didn't even know you two were dating? Which BTW I don't approve of, Oliver is kind of a whore."

"No. We're not dating." Felicity laughed, "is he really a whore?"

Sara nodded and quickly changed topics back to Felicity's recovery, "this is great news, Felicity!"

"I know!" She grinned, "Hey, I talked to Laurel and she told me about your mom and dad...I just wanted to tell you that if you ever need to talk or anything, I'm here for you. I know what it's like when your parents get divorced, it sucks but then it gets better."

Glassy eyed Sara grabbed Felicity's shoulder and looked into her eyes, "Felicity Smoak, you are remarkable."

"Thank you for remarking on it." She smiled back.

**_Felicity Smoak please report to the principal's office. Felicity Smoak please report to the principal's office._ **

"Looks like I gotta go, but I promised your sister we'd have girls night. I'll see you back at the dorm." And with that Felicity went into the direction of the principal's office.

* * *

"Oh god! I completely forgot she had her PT session today, I just wanted to surprise her." Donna babbled all over the place.

"Come on in," Quentin invited Donna into his office. They settled down in the corner of the office on the sitting area. They caught up over coffee.

Donna and Quentin shared a past that no one knew about. Many moons ago they were very much in love but Quentin was very much married. Quentin was planning on ending things with Dinah when she got pregnant with their second kid. Donna knew he'd never leave his wife after that, so she took that as her cue to end things herself. She picked up her life and moved to Vegas to pursue her dream of being a Vegas Showgirl; that's how she met Felicity's father Noah.

Donna was a free spirited young woman, back then she was all impulse; shoot now, ask later. She jumped into it with Noah rather fast. Their relationship started with one-night stand. A prolonged one-night stand that turned into dating, then a shotgun wedding, which then lead to Felicity being born. They were happy for 5 years then everything turned sour. By the time Felicity was 7 years old they had divorced. When Felicity was 10, Noah got transferred to his company branch in London.

Noah was still very present in Felicity's life. They'd scheduled Skype calls and Felicity would travel over for the holidays when he couldn't visit her back in the States. He even flew back immediately when Felicity had her accident, he stayed a whole month before he was forced to report back to work in London.  

A knocking on the door brought the conversation came to a halt. Quentin got up to answer the door. "Ah yes, Felicity come in. I have a surprise for you."

Felicity rolled in, "Aaaaaa!!" Donna squealed.

"MOM!" Felicity got up from her chair to hug her mother."What are you doing here?"

"Oh Honey! I just missed you so much." Donna squeezed Felicity's cheeks," I wanted to surprise you."

"I'll let you two have your moment," Quentin excused himself and left the office closing the door behind him.

Felicity chatted with Donna and told her all about her progress with PT. Donna said she wanted to be more present. Felicity told her that there was no need for that.

"So, how's school?"

"Oh mom...It's not what I expected. Everyone here is...so entitled. And this place it's changing me." Felicity exhaled feeling ashamed of herself after everything she had done.

"How so?"

"Well, I may have gotten threats--"

"Felicity Megan Smoak did you tell principal Lance about this?" Donna cut in.

"I didn't have to. I got it handled. I'm not proud of what I did," Felicity admitted "but I did manage to teach these guys a lesson and I managed to get the school board to change the uniforms."

"Honey, don't let this place corrupt you. I know how much you hate injustice and unfairness but I don't want you getting in trouble because of a couple spoiled brats. If you're gonna get in trouble let it be because it's something you believe in, like what you did with the uniforms. Do something for the greater good, teach these snotty kids a lesson on how to be a caring human being and not crooked politicians."

"Thanks mom. I hate to admit this, but I missed you."

"I missed you too, hon." Donna hugged Felicity again. "I want to take some time off from work and be here with you."

"No, mom that won't be necessary. I mean it." Felicity reassured her.  

"What about friends, have you made friends?"

"Yeah, actually Mr. Lance's daughters are my roommates and they're really great. I like them. I've got friends, mom. In fact I'm having dinner tomorrow with one of my many friends and his parents."

"He?!" Donna's eyes were wide as saucers, "Felicity!! Do you finally have a boyfriend?"

"No," really annoyed by that assumption "can't I have a boy who's a friend?!"

"Sure, honey."

"Mom, that was a rhetorical question." Felicity scoffed, "Either way, I have to go now. I promised the girls we'd have girls night. Mr. and Mrs. Lance are getting divorced."

"Wow. That's rough."It's all she could say at that without revealing much of her emotions and her past with Quentin.

At this bit of information Donna raised her eyebrows and in the back of her mind she thought that the timing of this divorce was questionable. She wondered, _hoped_ that maybe it had something to do with popping back into Quentin's life. But she could be wrong, most likely she was wrong.

Felicity and Donna said their goodbyes and Felicity went back to her room.

The girls bonded with Felicity over divorced parents. Felicity gave them hope that everything would work itself out. She found herself opening up to the girls and telling them how and why she came to EWS. Felicity always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling and now she had two pseudo siblings. She was happy.

* * *

Oliver told her to meet him in the school lobby at 7 sharp.

Felicity was on time, Oliver however was late. 15 minutes late. Felicity was pissed and just about to go to her room and get changed. She was wearing her best cocktail dress with strappy golden sandals, a gold short dress that showed off her best assets, shoulders, curves and legs, not that she wanted to impress Oliver. She looked older than she really was especially because she curled her hair, put some makeup on and ditched her glasses.

Oliver arrived and found Felicity waiting for him in the lobby. He was caught off guard by how different she looked without her school uniform. She finally turned around, and he could see how she checked him out shamelessly so he extended the same courtesy and took in the sight.

Oliver looked like a model straight out of a magazine. Sharp, clean and well dressed in a charcoal grey suit that hugged his body perfectly. Felicity noticed him staring at her legs, "took you long enough."

Oliver was about to give a snappy comeback but the driver arrived. They settled in their seats with a sizeable amount of distance between them, then Felicity broke the silence, "So where are we going?"

"We're meeting my parents at home then we'll go to the restaurant together." Oliver said looking out the window not bothering with looking at her when he addressed her.

They arrived at the mansion. Which to Felicity looked more like a castle. It was beautiful, huge and all the hardwood inside added so much richness to it, as if it needed it. They made their way to the living room, Oliver sat down on a couch and Felicity rolled around looking at everything. She found herself marveled at the family pictures, they all looked so genuinely happy.

"Will your sister be joining us?"

"No, she's at her school. In Central City." It freaks Oliver out how much strangers can know about him and his family, it's weird.

"Oh."

"Hello, dear. You must be Felicity," Moira extended her hand for Felicity to shake," you're the first girl Oliver's brought home." Moira was actually normal and sweet, not what Felicity expected from a CEO. "She's very pretty, son. Good job." Moira smiled in approval of Oliver's taste in girls.

At that Oliver blushed profusely and cut in, "Mom!"

"No need to be embarrassed, Oliver." Felicity winked his way and Oliver could see mischief in her eyes. He was in trouble, his mother was fueling the fire inside Felicity.

"Oliver said you'd be back," Robert came in, "Felicity, a pleasure to see you again." He looked at Moira like she'd grown a second head.

"Moira, what the hell are you wearing?" He asked truly offended with her attire.

"What's wrong with it? It's new, a little modern."

"Go change." he ordered, "You're not wearing that. You're the mayor's wife for god's sake!"

Felicity was shocked and paralyzed. The whole exchange was so uncomfortable. Oliver was embarrassed "Please don't fight," _in front of the girl that likes to blackmail people_ he thought.

"We're not fighting. We're having a difference of opinions. That's all." Robert justified himself.

Oliver couldn't wait for the night to be over. He was so embarrassed he couldn't even look at Felicity. They went to dinner after Moira changed clothes. The whole thing was uncomfortable and awkward, neither Oliver or Felicity said a single word during dinner.

Felicity felt so bad for Oliver. Once back at the limo she addressed him, "Hey," Felicity's voice broke through Oliver's thoughts in the limo, " I won't say anything about what I saw today."

"That would be my preference." Oliver replied coldly.

When they got back to school they parted ways.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 4

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: New kid, Tommy/Oliver friendship, a secret admirer, Oliver and John Diggle <3.


	5. Curiosity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> new kid, a secret admirer, plotting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way shorter than the last one. I hope you'll enjoy it.  
> I'm trying to set things into motion...things will get interesting in the next 3 chapters. So you can expect a lot more action from chapter 6. I had to cut a scene from this chapter cause that won't be happening until at least chapter 7.

As Felicity made her way back to her room, she kept thinking that she'd just witnessed the most awkward dinner in the history of awkward dinners. And that says a lot coming from someone who had a dinner in which her parents told her they were getting a divorce. The dinner with the Queens was boring, dry, and cold. Robert mostly talked about his mayoral campaign, Moira barely talked but she did ask Oliver about school and even asked about Tommy.

Felicity settled for the night and was ready for sleep but it just wouldn't come. She got up, got her tablet and went upstairs to the sitting area by the closets, plopped down on a pink beanbag chair. Before she realized what she was doing she found herself researching Robert Queen. She knew it was wrong, an invasion of privacy but she couldn't help it, she was curious about the man. And what she found made her want to not be curious anymore. Robert Queen is not an honest man. She found all sorts of shady stuff: money trails that led back to Frank Bertinelli, text messages from what had to be his mistress. Frank Bertinelli is a mob boss, and he is using Mr. Queen's mayoral campaign to launder his dirty money. And this doesn't seem to bother Robert. And this man is trusted to run this city? What kind of example is he setting for his kids? No wonder Oliver seems like such an ass, look at his father. 

* * *

Max Fuller joined EWS two weeks into the semester. He is a senior like Laurel, now it's her responsibility to show him around school and get him up to speed with the coursework, Quentin himself requested this. Laurel was finishing the tour by showing him to his dorm.

"So, this is your room. Looks like you'll be rooming with Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen."

"Not bad. But where's everyone?" Max said looking around his room and settling his bags upon the bed.

"In class." Laurel explained, "but we are excused for today. I have to make sure you're all caught up. So get your notebooks and we'll go to the library."

"Sure, okay."

Laurel thought this guy was cute, blue eyes, brown hair, tall. Almost average but still cute. She could not stop staring at him. They made their way through the school, passed a couple classrooms. "This is the juniors classroom," Laurel explained as she waved to Felicity and she waved back. "that's Felicity, she's a junior but will graduate with us seniors, so she takes half of the junior classes and half of the seniors'. She's the first ever to do that, graduate early from Elite Way School."  

"Damn. Are all the girls in school cute?" Laurel stared back at him in confusion.

"I mean, I thought it was just you." Laurel blushed fiercely and he continued, "But don't worry, blondes are not my thing. Brunettes on the other hand..." he said with a smirk and winked at Laurel.

"Come on, we've got work to do." She dismissed him and with that they went to the library and got to work.

* * *

Tommy was swapping books in his locker when he noticed an envelope had been stuffed into his locker. The envelope was light blue, it had his name scribbled in the front. Inside was a note from what seemed to be a secret admirer, though the note had been typed in a computer and not handwritten it was signed as anonymous and marked by light pink lipstick. It also smelled like a familiar flowery perfume, but he couldn't tell where he knew that perfume from. It was definitely one of the girls in his class, that much he knew. At first he thought of Laurel but he'd never seen Laurel wearing lipstick. Tommy was intrigued.

"Hey! Tommy!" Oliver shook his shoulder to get his attention.

"What?" Tommy jumped and quickly shoved the note into his bag.

"Damn. Why are you so jumpy?"

"I'm not."

"Uh-huh. Anyways, last Saturday I swiped a couple bottles of vodka from my dad's liquor cabinet for our private party." Oliver winked.

"Excellent."

* * *

"You have until tomorrow to turn in the assignment." Mr. Diggle reminded.

"I have mine ready!" Felicity said as she handed hers in. The assignment was to write a story or a situation in which morals and ethics are to be tested.

" _'The He-man Syndrome'_ that seems interesting. I'm looking forward to reading this." Mr. Diggle said as he skimmed through the pages of Felicity's paper.

Oliver heard the whole exchange between Mr. Diggle and Felicity, and Oliver knew that she must have written something about him. He was pissed. He needed to know what she wrote.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Oliver turned towards Tommy, who sat to his left.

"What?" Tommy asked.

"This idiot must've written something about me in the assignment." Oliver said signaling to Felicity.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because the dork sometimes calls me He-man. I know, I just know she wrote something about me."

"Ollie get over yourself. You're not the center of the universe." Tommy scoffed. Oliver could be such a drama queen.

Everyone was making their way out the classroom when Oliver spotted McKenna. "Hey! McKenna come here. I need to talk to you." He grabbed her hand and took her straight to their spot in the library.

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk about?" McKenna asked Oliver in between kisses. They were making out in their usual corner of the library.

"I need a favor." Oliver said as he continued his path down her neck sucking and nipping at it.

"I figured. What do you need?"

"I need you to find out what Felicity's paper for ethics is about."

"Find out for yourself!" She said bitterly and put some distance between them.

"Why you gotta treat me like that?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Where do you get the nerve? First you take _her_ to meet _your_ parents and then you only call me when you need something from me. Is that reason enough?" With that McKenna shocked Oliver, he never thought McKenna would find out that he took Felicity to dinner with his parents. McKenna wasn't exactly girlfriend material, she was a fast girl. Low morals, man-eater, not the kind of girl you take to meet the parents.

"No, no, no. It's not like that." "Yes, it is!"

"McKenna, babe." Oliver sighed and took her face between his hands. "You know me. I'm not good at expressing my feelings and though it may not seem like it sometimes _you_ are my girlfriend. I chose you."

"I chose you too. There are other guys in school that are after me." She stated.

"That doesn't scare me." Oliver said his confidence bursting at the seams.

"It should."

"Well like who then? Gimme names."

"Name the sin not the sinner."

"McKenna I'm crazy about you. Just because I don't always demonstrate it, doesn't mean I don't feel it." Oliver leaned over and kissed her again. McKenna sighed and angled her head so Oliver could deepen the kiss. Oliver pulled back, "so will you do it? Please, for me. Find out for me."

"Fine. I don't think I'll be of use, she hates me."

"There has to be a way." Oliver insisted.

McKenna thought about it until she came up with an idea. "Okay, I'll try."

* * *

End of chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out for Max ;)  
> Things are gonna get messy real fast, friendships will be tested.


	6. The Shit Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things unravel...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a life of its own and went a total different way than what I pictured. But it's really good.

That afternoon Felicity went to her PT with Sara. They chatted about school, mostly. Sara was very curious about that dinner with Oliver's parents. But Felicity was true to her word and didn't go into details about with Sara. She just said that it was boring, which was true.

 Felicity noticed that Sara didn't talk much about herself. Sara could keep a conversation going by asking questions, most of the random and all over the place. Come to think of it Felicity didn't talk much about herself either, but Sara was even more reserved than Felicity.

* * *

8:15pm McK: I couldn't find anything.

8:20pm OQ: It's okay. I'm taking care of it.

By 8:30 that night Oliver was knocking on Felicity's door. He was pissed that he even had to go and ask himself. He needed to know, he couldn't let anyone walk all over him. That was something his father had instilled in him; to be on top of things, to get everything under control before it's too late and to never ever get your hands dirty. And whatever Felicity wrote had potential to be catastrophic based solely on its name, Oliver didn't even want to think what she was capable of writing considering that she'd witnessed his parents bickering. She'd said she wouldn't say anything about it but still he had to make sure, this is still the same girl that threatened him.

Felicity opened the door and greeted him the same way he once did, "Can't get enough of me?"

 "Aren't you gonna let him in?" Laurel asked. And Felicity knew why she asked that, she was afraid that someone would catch them and they'd get in trouble.

Not taking her eyes off of him she answered back to Laurel, "Nope. He knows he could get in trouble and still chose to come here." Now addressing Oliver "I hope you can live with the consequences. Oh wait there are none for a guy like you. I bet your daddy takes care of that."

"What'd you write about me?"

"Nothing. Believe it or not, Oliver you're not that interesting, and-"

"Bullshit! I bet you were taking notes on Saturday!" He was pacing in the doorway by now. He leaned down to tower over Felicity, put his hands on the arm rests of the wheelchair and whispered "I swear if you wrote anything about my signing I will make sure you don't make it to the end of the semester."

Felicity gently slapped his cheek twice and then pinched it, "Oliver if I wanted to write about you I wouldn't waste my time writing about your whale calling hobby. There are plenty of juicier stories to tell about you or about your family. I guess you'll find out tomorrow when I share it with the class." And with that Felicity rolled back into her room and shut the door on his face.

* * *

When it was time for Ethics Felicity was pumped. She took her seat and got settled, Mr. Diggle asked the rest of the class to turn in the assignment. He gave Max, the new kid, an extension on the assignment due to the fact that the boy literally had started school the day before. "I expect a lot from you guys. You show promise and you certainly seem very creative. I got the chance to read Felicity's and I gotta say I enjoyed it very much. Felicity could you come up here and share your story with the class."

"Gladly, Mr. Diggle." She rolled to the front of the class and before she could even begin to tell her story someone was interrupting her.

Oliver jumped up from his seat, "Ah no! I don't come here to listen to my fellow classmates give their opinions. Our parents pay good money for you to teach us, so..."

Tommy looked at Oliver like he'd lost his mind. What the hell was he doing? This was going to be a shit show.

"Ah, and your name is?" Mr. Diggle asked, he was new to school and was still getting acquainted with his students.

"Oliver. Queen." He answered back nervously.

"Ah, I see. And that's okay. But sometimes us, the adults, we can learn from you youngsters. You guys have less pressure, have more freedom to say what's on your mind. Now that said, I'd really like for Felicity to share her story. It's a good story and I'd like for everyone to hear it, so she's gonna read." Mr. Diggle answered back and signaled to Felicity to go on ahead.

Felicity started telling the story "In a world where money makes--"

 Mr. Lance interrupted the class followed by Mr. Queen, "Ah yes, over here. Good afternoon, sorry for the interruption," Mr. Lance addressed Mr. Diggle, "I need to excuse Oliver from class. Oh, this is Mr. Queen, he is Oliver's father and the mayor of the city."

"Oh, it's nice to meet you Mr. Queen." Diggle said.

Apparently Robert was there to talk to Oliver? They were making their way out when Oliver insisted they stay. Oliver explained that they were just about to share stories about ethics and situations where they might be tested. "Hmm. I like ethics, would you mind if I stayed and listened?" Robert asked Mr. Diggle.

"Not at all. You're more than welcome Mr. Queen." Mr. Diggle replied. "Carry on, Felicity."

Felicity was a little nervous but powered through and read her story. It was about how money makes the world go 'round and whether it's important where money comes from and what it's used for. Oliver was relieved that Felicity's story wasn't about him but it also made him wonder if that was a dig at his family's money. Robert sat stiffly besides Oliver and didn't say a word until class was dismissed and Oliver had made his way out of the classroom.

"Felicity, I'd like a word with you. I'll be waiting in the parents room." Robert said to Felicity as she was gathering her notebook and stuffing it in her bag, before she could say anything Robert left.

That was weird. But Felicity went along with it and met Robert in the parents room. It was a sitting room with couches a coffee tables for kids to hang out with their parents privately. Felicity entered and found Robert already having coffee in one of the couches.

"Hello again, Mr. Queen."

"I never really liked stories. I didn't always get them, like yours for example. What was that about?" Robert appeared cool but beneath that he was sweating.

"What is it that you don't get?" Felicity asked politely.

"That _tone_. The one that suggests that you know more than you should." Felicity stayed silent so he continued "Knowledge is power, but it's only powerful to those who actually know what to do with it."

"I think you're reading too much into it. I just told a story that needed telling, nothing more."

"Is that so? Because it was more accusatory than anything if you ask me."

"If the shoe fits..." Felicity muttered.

"Listen child, I will not stand for this. A teenybopper insinuating such things about me and my--"

"I never used your name." Felicity cut in."Nor am I insinuating anything, I stated some facts. But I wouldn't be surprised if you had something to hide."

Robert was done. He was done being kicked by this teenage girl. He walked over to where she sat and towered over her, very similar to Oliver, "That is it! If you say one more thing about--"

Felicity interrupted yet again and she knew she was pushing it but she was looking to end this conversation. " I see it now. I see where Oliver gets it." she pointed to her eyes "All that hate behind those eyes, I guess it's true the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If Oliver grows up to be just like you...I really hope you can live with that." Robert was about to interrupt her but she didn't let him. "I think I've had enough of this. I have to get going." And just like that she left Robert Queen hanging.

* * *

Tommy had no other choice than to tell Oliver about his secret admirer. Oliver found three more notes on Tommy's desk. So when Oliver asked Tommy told him how he'd been getting anonymous notes every day, the first ones were innocent and cute but they were getting hotter and spicier. This girl had to be a freak and Tommy wanted to get his freak on. That Thursday Oliver came up with the idea to throw the party they were going to throw anyways but only invite the girls that could possibly be Tommy's secret admirer.

* * *

 

End of chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's ladies are up next.  
> Also, thoughts on that Robert/Felicity scene?


	7. Ladies Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's party, Oliver and Felicity share a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took so damn long to write, I apologize. I kept getting interrupted plus I was over analyzing the plot...but I got it all mapped out now. I promise the next one will be posted soon, hopefully within the next 2 days.

It was Friday morning and Oliver was making small talk with Tommy while waiting for Max Fuller, their new roommate to exit the room. Oliver was less than pleased when he found out that Tommy and he were getting a roommate. Oliver made sure to pay a little extra on the side to the principal's assistant, she was the one in charge of room assignments, so he paid her to make sure he would room with Tommy and to always have the room to themselves. It had never been a problem but this Max kid came in late and the only remaining vacant bed was in Tommy and Oliver's room. So Oliver was not happy about it, but on top of that right from the get go he did not like Max, something about him seemed off.

When Max finally left the room Oliver asked Tommy, "So we're set for the party tonight, your place right?"

"Yeah, dad is...god knows where but he won't be home so we'll be safe."

"Does it ever bother you, him being gone all the time?" Oliver asked more seriously.

"Are you kidding? We get to have my house all to ourselves." Tommy answered humorously.

"I'm being serious." Oliver insisted.

Tommy sighed before answering, "I guess. I don't know, it bothers me that he doesn't even have the decency to call. Can we change the subject?"

They were getting dressed in their casual uniforms. Oliver was buttoning up his shirt, "So, who are you going to invite to the party?"

"Well, I already invited Joanna, Kate, and I was thinking of inviting Laurel but I'm not sure." Tommy was apprehensive about inviting Laurel. He'd been silently crushing on her since sophomore year, but he's not a one girl type of guy and you don't want to mess with the principal's daughters. That's partially why the Lance sisters have been single all this time, everyone is afraid of their father.

"What about Felicity? She could be your secret admirer. She wears pink lipstick and is in half of our classes." Oliver pointed out.

"No, I don't think so. She's more your girl anyways, she even met the parents." At that Tommy wiggled his eyebrows.

"She's not. McKenna's my girl." Oliver confirmed. "Let's go. You need breakfast, you're clearly losing your mind."

"By the way, are you inviting _your_ girl to the party?"

"No."

"Ohhh... _Oh_! Is that why you want me to invite Felicity?" Tommy waited for Oliver to respond. _Why is Ollie so interested in this chick?_ he thought.

"No." Oliver took a deep breath already annoyed with Tommy "Forget I ever asked. Let's go." He said as he pushed Tommy out the door.

* * *

Tommy is not sure if he should even ask Laurel to go to his party. What if she says no? What if she says yes? What if she doesn't like him? She's never showed any interest in him but she's not shown disinterest. Tommy makes his way to his locker, and Laurel is also there. He takes that as a signal from the universe telling him to ask her to the party. Here goes nothing.

Laurel is rummaging through her locker when she notices a pair of feet standing beside her, she closes the locker to look at the individual. And it is no other than Tommy Merlyn. "What favor do you need, Merlyn?" She resumes her rummaging.

"Hmm, not a favor." Tommy grabbed the locker's door and pulled it all the way open so he could get into her personal space. "Well maybe yes. A favor. I need you to come to this party tonight."

Laurel stuck her head inside her locker so Tommy wouldn't see her blushing. She didn't get asked out, let alone get invited to parties. "A party? Tonight? Who else is going?" _Maybe Max would be there._

"Yes, a party. Tonight. It'll just be a couple kids from our class... Come by around 8?"

"Okay." Laurel finally popped her head out of her locker to answer him.

It was then when he noticed Laurel was wearing lipstick, PINK lipstick. Once he noticed he couldn't stop looking at her lips, "are you wearing lipstick? You never wear lipstick."

Laurel blushed at Tommy's observation and the fact that he noticed. Truth be told Laurel started wearing lipstick, technically she borrowed it from Felicity, ever since Max started flirting with her. _At least someone noticed_ she thought. Avoiding Tommy's gaze she admitted that she borrowed it from Felicity. "You like? You want some?"

Tommy grinned cheekily and she corrected herself, "That's not what I meant! God I've been spending too much time with Felicity."

Tommy thought about what Oliver had mentioned that morning, about inviting Felicity to the party. And now Laurel confirmed indeed that the pink lipstick came from Felicity...maybe he should invite her too. "You should bring her to the party. Tell her she's also invited."

* * *

Laurel wasn't sure parties were her scene but she could use some practice interacting with boys, in case an opportunity to go on a date with Max presented itself. She told Felicity she was also invited to Tommy's party. Felicity took some convincing but she accepted once Laurel pointed out that it could be fun and they could blow off some steam. Laurel explained that she'd talked with her father and worked out a special permit that would allow Felicity to leave and come back to school on Saturday, this meant Felicity would sleep over at the Lances.

Normally at EWS, you'd need parental consent to leave the school grounds. On weekends the kids could leave and go out without requiring any special permit, but they'd have to be back at school by 10:00pm. If the kids were going to be sleeping off campus they'd have to notify it and it required parental consent.

* * *

Oliver is playing bartender while Tommy plays the role of host, he's the one to open the door and welcome the guests. So far Joanna is the only one there aside from Oliver, Kate canceled at the last minute. Tommy mingles with Joanna and to be honest she's quite boring and doesn't seem to be the girl Tommy is looking for. He drops a couple of lines quoting the anonymous letters but she doesn't pick up on them, so Tommy eliminates her from the list of possible matches. Joanna is not Tommy's mystery girl.

In the middle of a conversation they get interrupted by the doorbell so Oliver takes over for Tommy and keeps Joanna entertained. Tommy welcomes Laurel and Felicity. They are quick to notice that this is not a party like they were lead to believe. There is only one other girl at the "party" and she's in the middle of a conversation with Oliver. Tommy explains to them that this is a private exclusive party.

Tommy's house is practically a castle, the party seems to be going on in the sitting room? Because he has a room for the sole purpose of sitting down and relax and talk. The room is huge, about the size of a ballroom and it reminds Felicity of Oliver's mansion; must be a my-daddy-is-a-millionaire-I'm-drowning-in-money-look-my-house-is-huge type of thing. The lighting in the room is dimmed and the music playing in the background can only be described as grinding music. _Douche bags._

The first thing Felicity does is to ask for the bathroom and Tommy pointed it out. Felicity was coming out of the bathroom and found Joanna waiting in line. They shared an awkward hello and Felicity went back to the sitting room. On her way to the bar she passed Tommy and Laurel, they were chatting on one of the sofas.

Oliver had spent the whole night drinking and flashing back to a conversation he had with his father the day of the shit show in the ethics class.

> _"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! HOW COULD YOU LET THAT GIRL HUMILIATE YOU, AND YOUR FAMILY LIKE THAT?! IT'S LIKE YOU'RE MY ENEMY INSTEAD OF MY SON!"_
> 
> _"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'M SORRY, I WASN'T AWARE SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU." (unless she was? Was his father as crooked as the man in Felicity's story? Was her story about his dad?) "WAIT!_ WAS _SHE TALKING ABOUT YOU?!"_
> 
> _"YOU'RE AN IDIOT! GREAT MY SON IS AN IDIOT. LOOKS LIKE I'M GONNA HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF IT, LIKE ALWAYS."_
> 
> _"No, dad I can take care of this. Let me handle it, please. Let me show you that I can do this!"_
> 
> _"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"_
> 
> _"Dad, come on. It's my life, let me do this. I don't like it when you intervene."_
> 
> _"Yeah, well you should've thought of that before you let a girl walk all over you. You are as weak as your mother. Pansyass boy!"_

Suddenly it was all too much, he needed to get out of there. He needed to get some air. He was stumbling making his way to the door that lead to the backyard pool when he knocked into something hard and fell to his knees. When he looked up he realized he'd bumped into Felicity's wheelchair. He was trying to say something smart-assy and suave but all that came out was, "Air! Need air!"

Felicity had barely made it to the bar when Oliver turned around and crashed into her and fell to his knees in front of her. He was saying he needed air but Felicity thought he could really use a breath mint because his breath was highly flammable. She tried to help him get off the floor but he couldn't stand without wobbling, so she sat him down in her chair and she wheeled him outside.

Felicity was trying to get Oliver off her wheelchair, he held on to her and she helped him get settled on a chaise by the pool. He was mumbling something and pulled her down with him on the chaise. She sat beside him while he laid there looking up at the sky. Silence settled between them and she couldn't hold it in anymore, "If you can't handle your alcohol maybe you shouldn't be drinking."

"You're no fun. Shocker."

"You're the one who's drunk." She retorted "And by the looks of it you're gonna have a killer hangover tomorrow, so." She smiled smugly at him but inside she was thinking, asking herself why would anyone would need to get so drunk to the point where they can't even walk. Felicity found herself having a moment of weakness and pitied him. Oliver literally and figuratively pulled Felicity from her thoughts.

"Hmm. Come here." He pulled Felicity closer into his personal space. "Come closer, I wanna give you something." He whispered.

"What?" Felicity got into his personal space trying to understand what he was saying.

Once Felicity was in his personal space he hugged her. Felicity stiffened in his arms. He took a moment to caress her back while he settled in the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply. She hesitantly put her arms around him and just stood there. The whole thing was awkward for her, she didn't even know how to react to this strange thing that was happening so she gently patted his back. She didn't have much time to think about anything else because then Oliver started to kiss her neck.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" She pushed him back.

"I'm just giving you what you want." He said slurring his words and dove right back in this time aiming for her lips, "I know you want this. Everyone wants it."

Felicity tried to make eye contact but Oliver was gone, drunk, pupils dilated. She struggled to get him off, "NO, I DON'T WANT IT!" She finally pushed him off and slapped his cheek hard. "YOU'RE AN ASS!" She got on her chair and rolled back into the party to find a fuming Laurel already waiting for her at the backdoor. "I'm ready to go. Can we get out of here?" Felicity asked.

"Excellent! I'm so ready to leave this place." Laurel answered while making their way to the front door to finally leave the Merlyn manor. On their way out the front door they bumped into McKenna who looked pissed too. _Why on earth was everyone so pissed that night?_

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Oliver and Tommy discuss the party; Laurel and Felicity talk about why they left the party.


	8. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Tommy discuss the party; Laurel and Felicity talked about why they left the party. TOMMY'S GIRL!!!!!! :P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was really easy to write. Enjoy!

The ride back to Laurel's house was eerily quiet. They didn't talk about what happened that night until they were ready to go to bed. They were sharing Laurel's bed, back to back opposite each other. Felicity knew why she was pissed and wanted to leave the party, but she wanted to know why was Laurel was so pissed off.

"So how come you wanted to leave the party?"Laurel interrupted Felicity's thoughts, "I mean, I know why I wanted to get out of there. Did something happen?"

_Something alright._ Felicity took a deep breath before recounting the events from that night. She told Laurel about what Oliver did and how he forced himself on her. Laurel turned to face Felicity concern all over her face. But Felicity  also clarified that she got the chance to at least smack his face real good, at that she saw some satisfaction cross Laurel's face. "So I was just about to ask you the same question." Felicity asked, "so why did _you_?"

"Tommy is an idiot." Laurel sighed. She told Felicity how Tommy was out of line. He kept making sexual innuendos and insinuating that Laurel had been sending him kinky anonymous letters.

"That's crazy!"

"I know."

"So wait, some girl is sending him kinky letters? And just to clarify, it's not you?"

"Seems like it and OF COURSE IT'S NOT ME!"

"Hey I'm not judging you if you are." Felicity pointed out.

"I'm not... At one point in the conversation even though I'd already explained that I was not the one sending him kinky mail, he actually told me to stop denying it. That I didn't have to be shy around him and when he suggested we'd go to his room I poured my drink on his head."

Felicity burst out laughing "So _that's_ why he was soaked. Good job." Laurel joined in the laughter. After that they settled on easy conversation until they fell asleep.

* * *

 

> _Tommy went after Laurel and Felicity but they were already gone. Instead he was greeted by a pissed off jealous McKenna in his foyer._
> 
> _"Where is he?!"_
> 
> _"He? Who? What are you talking about?" Tommy asked playing dumb._
> 
> _"Oliver!" She moved past Tommy to look around the house._
> 
> _"He's not here." Tommy rolled his eyes. This is why he doesn't do girlfriends. Jealousy._

Oliver wakes up with a raging headache at Tommy's. Apparently he got drunk and slept outside. He sat up and brought the grey blanket around his shoulders and covered his head, Tommy must've put thrown that on him last night. The events from the night before were a little blurry but he did remember he tried to kiss Felicity. And she slapped him.

Oliver was stroking his cheek when he noticed Tommy coming from the inside of the house carrying a tray full of greasy food. "What the hell happened last night?"

Tommy chuckled, "It was eventful. By the way you owe me big time!"

"Oh great. What did I do?"

"Your girlfriend, McKenna remember her? She showed up here last night and made a scene, by then Laurel and Felicity had left so Joanna was the only one to see her freak out. And thank god you were still outside and she didn't think to look for you outside. She checked the rooms. ROOMS! Plural!"

"She's getting too clingy. I think it's time to let her go." Oliver threw the idea around. "What about your mystery girl?"

"That was a disaster." Tommy began to narrate what went down in the disastrous party. Including the bit where Laurel poured her drink on his head. Oliver thought it was hysterical. The boys started to devour their greasy breakfast.

"So are you gonna keep looking for the girl?"

"No. That's over, I actually think I might be getting catfished." Tommy tossed his scrambled eggs around the plate looking disappointed.

"What makes you say that?" Oliver asked with a mouth full of hash browns.

"Well let's start with the fact that she sends anonymous notes."

"Maybe she's just shy." Oliver started to suggest different outcomes. "Or maybe she's taken, or she could be a dude."

"OH GOD!! I didn't even think of that possibility." Tommy shook his head and with determination said, "I'm done looking for her. Until she's willing to show her face I am done."

 

* * *

Back on Monday Tommy found inside his locker another light blue envelope with his name scribbled in the front. After reading the note for a third time, Tommy shoved it into one of his notebooks and went about his day like he normally would.

* * *

Max was still getting the hang of school and apparently here he had to do his own laundry. So on Monday afternoon he found himself picking up some socks from the floor when he picked up a blue envelope addressed to Tommy but he went ahead and opened it anyways.

_I heard you've been looking for me. Meet me tonight after lights out. Laundry room. Come alone._  
_XOXO, Anonymous_

Also on the floor was Tommy's bag, Max figured the note must have fallen out of his bag so he put it back inside and pretended to know nothing. Max wasn't one for the drama but this, this secrecy was intriguing.

That night after lights out Max heard Tommy get up from his bed and go out, he waited a minute before following Tommy. Max stood outside the laundry room and heard some footsteps approaching so he jumped in one of the dirty laundry carts that was filled with linens from the dining room. He heard the door to the laundry room open and close again, this time he heard the distinct shift of the lock. He didn't get a look at whoever was inside the room with Tommy so Max decided to wait them out.

* * *

Tommy snuck out after lights out and went to the laundry room. He wasn't even sure what to expect but curiosity got the best of him, so he waited anxiously for anyone to show up. He paced the room , sat down and just before he'd made up his mind and was about to leave he heard the door open and close. He got up and turned around and he definitely was not expecting _her_ of all people to show up.

"McKenna?! What are you doing here?" Suddenly everything fell into place. "Are you the one who's been sending me those kinky notes?"

McKenna nodded quickly avoiding his gaze. "Yeah, bet you weren't expecting it."

"B-B-But you're with-- I mean you're Oliver's girlfriend! My best friend's girlfriend!!" Tommy shook his head, "No, no. Get out of here. I have to tell Oliver."

"Why would you want to tell him?" She stepped closer into his personal space and slid her hands up his arms and down his chest, "What's that saying about forbidden fruit being sweet?"

"No, I can't do this to Ollie." They were standing so close, too close.

"Given the chance he'd do the same to me...you know I'm right." McKenna's hands made their way up to Tommy's face and pulled him down to her, closing the barely existing distance between them. McKenna pulled back and looked into Tommy's eyes and assured him, "I won't tell anyone if you don't."

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 8

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?! Please comment.  
> Up next: M A X F U L L E R !! & sneaking around


	9. New Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max Fuller. Tommy and McKenna discuss their situation. A couple goes on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mostly a Max Fuller chapter. Also trying to squeeze Sara more into the plot cause she's important.

Tuesday morning Max was having breakfast with Laurel, Felicity and Sara. Out of the corner of his eye he saw McKenna having breakfast with his roommates Oliver and Tommy. McKenna sat beside Oliver and across from Tommy. 

"I thought McKenna was Tommy's girlfriend." Max thought out loud. 

"Tommy?" Laurel laughed, "No. Tommy doesn't do girlfriends. McKenna is with Oliver."

"Oh."

There was a moment of silence before, "So, Max how are you liking the school?" Sara changed subjects. 

"Hmm. It's okay. I've caught up on every class thanks to Laurel," he sent a smile her way, "though I'm still having trouble with calculus." 

"You know, Felicity is great with numbers." Laurel supplied. 

"You are?" Max asked Felicity. 

"Yeah, Felicity is like a genius." Sara answered for her. 

"I am." She nodded her head. "I can help you out. I'm actually free today after school if you'd like to get started right away." 

"Sure. Thanks."

"But Felicity, what about PT?" Sara asked. 

"Oh I almost forgot to tell you, it got pushed back. The appointment is tomorrow. You're coming with me right?" 

"Of course!" Sara nodded her head. 

* * *

 

The school day was over and Felicity was storing some books back in her locker. She'd just closed and locked it when suddenly her chair started moving. 

"No, no, no!" She screeched. "Not again, please!" She franticly reached for the breaks.

"Oh sorry! I thought I'd wheel you around." The voice coming from behind apologized and stopped altogether. She turned and found Max already bending down to her level.

"I didn't mean to scare you, sorry."

"Oh thank god it's just you."She took a deep breath and relaxed."It's okay. You just surprised me."

"Do you mind if I wheel you to the study hall?" Max offered this time.

"Sure, go ahead." Felicity accepted.

Max took her books and her bag, took the breaks off and began to wheel Felicity to the study hall. They got settled, sat side by side and got to work. Felicity observed Max while he was doing some math problems, he was very focused on the task a crease present between his eyebrows while he was biting his tongue. He looked so cute. _Huh. That's new_. Then she was getting lost in his beautiful blue eyes...because _he_ was staring back at her. And _frack_! he was smiling, he must've noticed she was staring. But wait, he was saying something.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I should've asked before I grabbed your chair and started wheeling you around." Max interrupted Felicity's thoughts.

"I don't really like it when people grab my chair without asking first." Max looked at her with sympathetic eyes, waiting for her to explain more. So she did. Felicity told Max about the accident, how it had happened and what happened after. "So when I went back to school everyone was nice except for the bullies. One time, one of the bullies decided that it'd be fun to roll me down the school ramp, but the idiots wheeled me forward instead of backwards and I fell from the chair halfway down the ramp and got some serious road rash on my hands and cheeks. Had a couple more incidents like that too, one time they put me inside a port-a-potty and turned it. And that's when I convinced my mom to put in home school." She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal.

"Wow, I'm sorry you had to go through that." Max was thoroughly impressed by Felicity. Here was a strong young girl, mature for her age and Max doubted that if the roles were reversed he would act the same way. Before he knew it he was reaching over to hug her. It took her by surprise but she hugged him back. Felicity thought that Max was an excellent hugger, his embrace was warm and full of comfort. Blushing profusely Felicity smiled back at him and got back to the homework they were working on.

* * *

Oliver, Tommy and McKenna were in the study hall that same Tuesday afternoon working on their homework. Oliver sat opposite Tommy and McKenna who were working on their history paper while Oliver worked on his English essay. A few tables further back into the room were Max and Felicity and Oliver could not stop staring at them. He was completely oblivious to the tension between McKenna and Tommy. When he saw the hug between Felicity and Max he made up an excuse to leave, "I forgot something in my locker, be right back." and with that he left. 

When Oliver left Tommy was sure he suspected something. "McKenna stop it." He took her hand away from his knee.

"I can't help it, Tommy."She batted her eyelashes and pouted at him.

"Someone could see us! Besides, I don't understand why do you even want me?"

"I like you Tommy. I can't help it that you're irresistible." She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Are you gonna tell Oliver?--"

"What do you want me to tell him? That suddenly I'm into his best friend?" McKenna cut in.

"Well, yeah." Tommy sheepishly admitted.

"And he is gonna take it so well. He's never been dumped...besides you know him better than anyone, you know that me and him, we're not gonna last. He'll get sick of me and break up with me soon enough." She combed her fingers through his floppy black hair and leaned over to kiss him.

"No, McKenna." He pushed her away and got up from his chair, "I don't want trouble with Oliver. This can't happen again until you guys have broken up." He picked up his bag and left.

* * *

The week went by fairly quickly. Throughout the week Max noticed how Tommy grew antsy and jumpier. On Thursday Max, Oliver and Tommy were all in their room on their beds respectively. Tommy and Oliver were whispering something, Max grabbed his headphones and pretended to be listening to music occasionally air drumming or by tapping his fingers to the beat of the non existing music. Once Oliver and Tommy noticed that Max couldn't hear them they raised their voiced to a more normal level.

"Hey, did she ever show up?" Oliver asked Tommy while waving the last note he'd gotten from his _secret admirer_.

Tommy's eyes widened at the sight that Oliver had found the note. But he kept his cool composure, "Nah, man. I'm telling you, catfish!"

From the other side of the room Max snorted a laugh. Tommy and Oliver looked at him questioning looks on their faces but Max had his phone in his hands a pretended to be reading something funny and replying back while never looking up to meet the paranoid eyes of Oliver and Tommy. Max picked up his bag of dirty laundry and exited the room.

"I don't like him." Oliver confessed to Tommy.

* * *

Max had just finished unloading the dryer machine when Laurel entered the laundry room. "Hey." He smiled at her while stuffing his clothes into a laundry bag.

"Hi, Max." She waved her hand and settled on a washer to use and started loading it careful to not have her undies flying around. She felt Max's eyes on her, she turned to face him. "So, what's up?"

"Well actually I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow night?" Laurel stared blankly at him. He explained, "My dad owns this club called _Poison_ , so I can get us in. No drinks though, that'd be pushing it." He laughed nervously.

"Like a date?" Laurel asked apprehensively.

"Yeah. So...?" He looked at her expectantly with a charming smile.

"Hmm. Of course! I mean, yes. That sound cool."

"Would you please keep this between us?" Laurel looked confused so he clarified, "It's just... I don't really want people to know about the nightclub, they'll just want me to get them in and--"

"But you just told me about it."Laurel pointed out.

"Well that's because I trust you." He smiled at her. "Seriously though, don't tell anyone about the date. We don't want the other girls to get jealous of you, do we?" He slung the laundry bag over his shoulder and leaned in to kiss her cheek. Laurel blushed beet red, "See you." He smirked at her and winked before exiting the room.

* * *

That Friday Felicity and Sara went to the movies straight out of Felicity's latest PT appointment. That meant that Laurel had the room all to herself to get ready for her date with Max. They left the school together and went to Poison. They danced all night and had fun. Laurel hadn't been on many dates before and she only ever had one boyfriend: Carter Bowen. Carter wasn't that into her what he was into was the protection that came with being the boyfriend of the principal's daughter. That was something she talked about with Max, he seemed to understand being used by people to get some benefits. They had bonded and at the end of the night Max kissed Laurel goodnight gently on the lips.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *plots and laughs evilly* ;P  
> Up next: First Date


	10. Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pressure, Dates and Parents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Life kept making it impossible for me to write this chapter. So to make up for taking so long to update I made this chapter longer than others. I hope to keep updating twice a week. So if I'm gone for more than a week expect longer chapters. Thanks for reading. :)

A couple of weeks passed since Max's date with Laurel. They've gone out a couple of times and done some secret movie nights in the school's laundry room and gym. Laurel is not into the secret girlfriend thing but she does find the affair thrilling. It's been difficult to not share this with her sister and Felicity, and keeping distance in school has been troublesome considering the looks they exchange whenever they look at each other.

Things have been getting quite heated between them, the making out now involves a whole lot of touching. The touching she does like but is afraid he might want to have sex with her and she's not sure she's ready to take the next step. Laurel has never had sex before, what if she's no good? She doesn't like to think about it much, in all honesty it freaks her out. So when she feels his hand trailing up her back under her shirt she stops him. It's been happening  repeatedly in the last three dates. The first time she stopped him she was really freaked out and he quickly apologized and said that he didn't want to pressure her into doing something she didn't want to. She was grateful that he understood. But now it seemed like he was getting impatient.

That night they'd decided on a laundry room date, which meant cuddles and making out in a corner of the laundry room on some pillows and a make shift fort made of bed sheets. "Laurel, we're not kids. If we want to have sex we can. I just thought that if we talked about it you'd be more comfortable with the idea." He said trailing a path of kisses on her neck then putting some distance between them so he could look at her.

"It'd be my first time." She whispered looking down at her hands avoiding his gaze. "I don't know if I'm ready."

Max lifted her face by her chin and looked at her straight in the eyes to make sure she'd understand what he was about to say. " _This_ is why we should be talking about it. If you're not ready then we don't do anything. You'll know when you're ready and when you are we can revisit this conversation."

"So, you're not mad?" She was so nervous and vulnerable she honestly felt like crying, she thought she was being a baby.

"Laurel, of course not." He rubbed her cheekbones with his thumbs, "I'm glad you told me. I'll make sure to hold back on the advances. If I'm being too forward you'll tell me, okay?"

"Okay."She nodded and he pecked her lips.

"Now ," he pulled back and pressed play on the movie they had paused on his tablet "let's actually watch this one for a change." She giggled and snuggled up to him and he put his arm on a safe place on her shoulder.

* * *

Felicity Smoak was nursing a crush on her new friend Max Fuller. She considered him a friend. They would hangout after school and worked on their homework together. They would tell each other about their day, swap stories about how much they both hated Oliver. They had fun together. But lately she could not stop staring at him whenever he wasn't looking. Like right now, they were working on their homework and she was taking longer than normal to get hers done because Max was very distracting when he was concentrating on his own work, brows furrowed, tongue pressed between his lips. _Look away Smoak! Look away!_

"Hey," Max waved his hand in front of Felicity's face to get her attention. "I've noticed some things."

"What kind of things?" She asked  and leaned over curiously to his side of the table they shared.

"Well it's about my roommates...I don't mean to gossip but I feel like I should tell someone." He reluctantly admitted.

"Of course. This sounds juicy!" She said rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

Max looked around to make sure no one overheard their conversation. "I've seen Tommy sneaking around with McKenna...to do some more than friendly things."

"Whoa!" Felicity sat there with her mouth hanging open. "That I was not expecting. Doesn't surprise me though. The people here are mostly assholes."

"That's not all...I think Oliver has no idea about what has been going on. That poor sucker."

"Ehhh...It is what it is. You reap what you sow" Felicity shrugged.

They talked  a little bit more in detail about Tommy and McKenna and about how Max first found out about them. He told Felicity about the anonymous notes and how one day he found more under Tommy's bed. After that they went back to work. Felicity kept glancing over at Max and having non platonic thoughts. She wished he would ask her out, after all he was single. _You don't have to wait for him to make the first move. This is the 21st century, You can ask him out, Smoak!_ She thought to herself. Though Felicity had never even been on a date before the mere thought of asking him out was even more nerve wracking.

Felicity gathered all her courage and asked him if he wanted to go to Big Belly Burger with her. He said, "sure" never looking up from his notebook. She was about to clarify that she meant to ask him out on a date when he glanced at his phone to check the time and asked, "How about now?"

"Okay." She agreed.

* * *

A couple weeks ago Dinah received a job offer from Hudson University in Central City. She applied for the job on a whim, way before she and Quentin decided to split for good. So when the call came about the job offer she was definitely surprised. Dinah wasn't sure about moving to Central City.  She asked for some time to get back to them, she had to discuss this with Quentin and break the news to her daughters about a possible move from Starling City.

Dinah sat in the teachers' lounge holding a cup of coffee that had gone cold long ago. She was absent-minded, head busy coming up with ideas on how to tell Quentin about the job and even more afraid about how he would react.

"Everything okay there?" John Diggle breaks her out of her worried mind.

"Why wouldn't it be?" She asks defensively.

"You look worried is all." He says as he takes a seat on the couch beside her.

She took a deep breath, "I am worried." She brought the coffee cup up to take a sip and scrunched up her face at the realization that her coffee was indeed cold. She put down the cup on the coffee table in front of the couch. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Diggle waiting for her to explain more. "I got a job offer but it's in Central City and it doesn't seem like the right time with me being in the middle of my divorce with Quentin, plus there's the girls...I honestly don't know what to do. It's always been my dream to teach at a college level."

"You should do it." Diggle says like it's the obvious choice. "You should obviously discuss it with your family, but if that job will make you happy you should take that opportunity."

"You don't have any kids, do you?" She looked at him quizzically.

Diggle thinks about what to respond to this question so he deflects by pointing out the silver lining. "I'm sure it'd be hard to leave your daughters behind but they're old enough to understand that this is something you always wanted to do." Dinah looks at him considering the point he's making. "Plus it'd be a great example for your girls, having an empowered, smart woman like yourself determined to make her dreams come true, to look up to." He gives her an honest smile.

Dinah takes in all of Diggle's points and smiles at the thought of this being a positive change for the girls whether they recognize it or not. She thanks Diggle for the advice and heads to Quentin's office to talk about the job offer.

* * *

Meanwhile in Quentin's office...The phone rings and Quentin picks it up.

"EWS, Quentin Lance speaking."

"Q! Hey it's me Donna."

"Hey Donna. To what do I owe this honor?"

"I wanted to consult this with someone else."

"What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No. No. God, no. I was thinking about taking some time off from my show and get a place in Starling City. I always loved it there anyways."

"Then why did you leave in the first place?" He questions almost whispering.

"You know why..." She answers soberly all enthusiasm gone from her voice at the memories it brings back up.

"What brought this on? The moving back to Starling."

"Actually it was your daughter, Sara. She called me and told me how much Felicity has been missing me and how sad she is. So I thought I'd surprise her and pop in and stay for a couple of weeks maybe even a mon--"

"Sara called you? I'm sorry but Felicity seems fine to me. She's fitting in quite nicely and from what I've seen she seems happy. You know she has stayed over a couple times at my house."

"I know and I know my girl. She may appear to be cool, bubbly sometimes though she's more of a firecracker, my girl. She's guarded and I know how she truly feels on the inside. Actually last time I was there she admitted she missed me and Felicity never voices her feelings."

"It's certainly not a bad idea. You still have friends here in Starling and you'd get to see your girl whenever you want."

"We could catch up too." He smiles fondly at the phone at the idea.

Dinah peeks her head into Quentin's office and he waves her over to take a seat. "I'm sorry to have to cut this short but my wife just walked into my office. Donna, it was great talking to you."

"Oh. You're still married?" She almost sounds surprised and disappointed.

"Yes." He replies curtly.

"Well...I guess we'll talk some other time. Bye, Q."

"Bye, Donna."

* * *

Still in their school uniform Max and Felicity went to Big Belly Burger. They had Big Belly Busters, cheese fries and milkshakes. They were having easy conversation when Max's phone beeped with a text message. Felicity continued with her story while Max texted his "mom".

L: Sorry but something came up with my parents and we're going to Central City this weekend.

M: Can we still go out on Friday?

L: No :( We leave on Friday afternoon.

M: :( okay. Have a good time.

M: Better bring me something back :*

L: :P Sure thing :*

"Sorry about that." Max apologized. He continued to tell Felicity about his hobbies and about how much he liked extreme sports. Felicity nodded her head while faking not being disappointed. When Felicity asked him to go with her to Big Belly she had meant for it to be a date and judging by the topics of their conversations to him this was simply two friends eating burgers and having a good time. She enjoyed it though she wished she had been clear with him. But she was so nervous never having been on a date before, she took this as a practice date. It was actually nice not having the pressure or the nerves one would feel on a first date. She knew she wasn't paying attention to what Max was saying right now, she kept looking at him and nodding her head and smiling, a small smile.

"...so you think you could make it?"

"Hmm, what?"

"This Saturday, 1pm sounds good?"

"Yeah." _Hold on one second! Did he really just ask you out, Smoak?! Way to go!!_ She congratulated herself while wondering what the hell did she just agreed to do.

"Cool. Remember to wear something comfortable, so no dresses and definitely no skirts."

* * *

"Where have you been?!" Sara jumped from her bed and ambushed Felicity as she entered her room.

"I was at Big Belly Burger wi--"

"Mom might be abandoning us!" Sara exclaimed with unshed tears in her eyes.

"What?! What's going on?" Felicity turned and asked Laurel, who just sat on her bed watching this scene unfold.

"Sara's being dramatic. Mom got a job offer from Hudson University...but it's in Central City. We're leaving on Friday afternoon to go over there and check it out."

"And are you guys okay with this?" Felicity asked them.

"Well I guess...It may not even happen. I'm not worrying until there's something to worry about. Does that make sense?"Laurel answered."Now, Sara on the other hand is being dramatic."Laurel laid her eyes on her sister, "Like mom would actually leave. She may not end up moving to Central City, besides it's like dad said earlier there are still t's to cross and i's to dot, like the custody agreement and the divorce." Sara didn't say anything else and went straight to bed despite the fact that it was 8pm.

* * *

Then came Saturday and Felicity was ready for her date with Max. She was so excited, they'd agreed to meet in the lobby at 12:30pm. She wore her hair in a tight ponytail, contacts instead of her glasses, some minimal makeup with a pop of color on her lips. Max met her and he noticed that she had ditched her wheelchair and he reminded her that she could get tired. "We should take it with us, just in case."

"Better safe than sorry, I guess." She said as they went back to her room to get it.

Felicity tried to be nonchalant about whatever it was they were doing that day. On the ride over she wondered about how this day would go, would they have a good time? Would he kiss her at the end of the day? And _OH GOD!_ Felicity just realized that she's never been kissed before...except for that time that Oliver tried to kiss her while he was drunk. But that doesn't count since he never had a chance to reach her lips. Before she can continue her inner freak out the car stops and she looks out the window, they are in a small airstrip.

They get out of the car and Max grabs her hand and excitedly hurries her over to get on the plane. It all happens so fast that before she knows it they're 10,000 ft up in the air. "Once we reach 13,000ft we jump. Here put this on."Max instructs her as he hands her a jumpsuit and goggles, Felicity stares wide eyed as the realization hits her. They are going to sky dive. "I'm jumping with Jake, you'll jump with Sam." Jake and Sam are the diving instructors and they'll be jumping in tandem.

 Jake and Sam make sure they're securely strapped to their diving partners. They put on their parachutes and make some final adjustments as the plane reaches 13,000ft. Max fixes his GoPros at the wrists and helmet, "See you down there Felicity!"He shouts as he and Jake jump out.

"Okay, Felicity. We're up next." Sam barks his instructions as he drags her along.

"I can't!! I'm scared!!"Felicity started to freak out.

"It's okay! It's totally normal to be scared--"

"I'm afraid of heights!!"

"Me too!" Sam admits.

"WHAT?!"

"The fear of heights is triggered by movement of the objects that surround you when you're high up, but in sky diving it feels like falling and nothing around you actually moves, so the fear is not actually being triggered. It's gonna be okay. I promise."

"...Okay."

When they jump Felicity closes her eyes and screams _FRAAAACK!!_ She dares open her eyes and she's actually falling through the air. It almost feels like she's floating on a cloud. Then she feels a yank as the parachute is opened and they continue their descent. Once they touchdown and Sam releases her she runs over to Max's arms and jumps him, he picks her up.

"Holy crap! Did you see that?! I just jumped off a plane. 13,000ft!! Did I mention I'm afraid of heights?!"

"Yeah?"

He chuckles and pulls back from their embrace to look at her. She feels the rush of adrenaline still coursing through her veins and it gives her the courage to do something she's been dreaming of for the last week. She leans in and gently pecks his lips. Still hugging her Max pulls back to fully look at her, to see if she realizes what she did. Her eyes widen at the realization that she just had her first kiss, which she initiated but he didn't really reciprocate.

"I'm sorry, that was out of line."She apologizes and detangles herself from him.

Max studies the situation and honestly he is confused. He's going out with Laurel, who he likes very much, might even love. And he _likes_ Felicity, she's his friend. But he's never thought about her that way. He admires her courage, bravery and her passion for life. The way she does what she wants and fights for what she believes in. He is so confused about it all that he asks, "Did you really mean to do that?"

She wants to run and he notices it and grabs her hand making sure she doesn't escapes from this. "I, I..."she stutters and then whispers, "yes."

Felicity is so different from Laurel, more upfront about what she wants and clearly fearless. Perhaps things with Laurel haven't been progressing because she's not the right girl for him. Maybe the right girl is standing in front of him. He decides to take a page from Felicity's book and go with the impulse that tells him that _this_ is right.

"Good." He leans in and this time gives her a proper kiss.

"I've never done that before." She confesses.

"What? You've never kissed anyone before?" He asked shocked.

"No!" She denies while feeling ashamed that she'd never kissed anyone before. It made her feel so insecure and like a total freak. "I meant jumping off a plane!"

"Oh."He chuckles. "C'mon let's eat something."

After that they have a picnic and eat lunch under a tree. They lay back on a blanket to look at the clouds. "Felicity..."

"Hmm?" She looks at him from the corner of her eye, his eyes trained on the side of her face.

"I've had a lot of fun today. With you." He leans over and kisses her cheek.

"Me too." She replies blushing.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Can you not tell anyone I took you sky diving?"

She immediately faces him, confusion all over her face. "I don't like lying or being lied to for that matter. Why shouldn't I tell anyone?"

He looks at her in the eyes and with honesty says, "I feel guilty." He knows he's not being clear enough. "It's just that I didn't even think twice about your situation, being in a wheelchair I mean. It was reckless of me to bring you here and have you jump off a plane. What if something happened to you and you ended up in that wheelchair for life? I couldn't live with it. I'm sorry. And I'm not asking you to lie, just please don't mention you and I jumping from a plane 13,000ft up in the air."

"It's okay. I'm okay."She takes a hold of his and he immediately intertwines their fingers."I wouldn't have jumped if I didn't think I could handle it." They smile at each other and continue watching the clouds and enjoying their date.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: It all comes crashing down...  
> Expect more parents, Felicity's lasts PT appointments and sagely Diggle.  
> Please comment, I'd like your thoughts on Max :P  
> Also, what do you guys think of Diggle?


	11. 11-59

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe me if I told you this chapter is just drama?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My computer decided it was an excellent time to die in the middle of writing this long ass chapter. I seriously wanted to cry! I had to rewrite this from memory…I usually write late at the night or early in the morning, usually between 3 am and 5 am. By the time I stop writing around 5am I can barely keep my eyes open let alone remember what I just wrote.  
> KILL ME N O W !  
> This however is my favorite chapter so far.
> 
> I hope I remembered it all.

_“Looks like Wednesday will be your last PT appointment for a while.” Dr. Andrews said as he finished updating Felicity’s file._

_“Really?”_

_“Yes. Wednesday at 1pm. Be here.”_

_“Finally!” Felicity pumped her fist._

_“You’re pretty much done and you can officially ditch your chair starting today. So I’ll see you this Wednesday at 1pm to check how you’re doing and hopefully that’ll be the last time for a while. If you feel any discomfort at all you call me right way.”_

_“Thanks Dr. Andrews.”_

It was Monday afternoon and Felicity was coming back from her PT appointment, she was used to going with Sara. But Sara couldn’t make it today. Apparently Mama Lance was moving to Central City, so Laurel and Sara were busy meeting with their parents and their lawyers. The move to Central City was so sudden, Felicity knew how much the girls’ lives would change. It reminded her of when her father first moved out of her house. That alone was an adjustment but when her father moved to London everything she once considered normal changed. She no longer saw her father as often as she used to. The time difference between London and Vegas sucked but Felicity and her dad had worked out a schedule. They would skype on weekends and text everyday. She was finishing her text to her father, he liked to be up to date with Felicity’s progress. 

By the time Felicity dialed her mother she was already at the door of her dorm room when she heard the phone ring. The line was ringing but there was definitely a phone ringing. She opened the door and Donna jumps up from Felicity’s bed and practically runs over to her and squeezes the air out her daughter.

“My baby!” Donna squeals.

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Felicity asks pulling herself away from her mother’s embrace.

“Oh, Honey. We talked about this.” Her mom runs her hands up and down the length of her arms.

“Oh no we did not. I’d remember if we had.” Felicity pulls completely off Donna, starts making her way up the stairs and Donna follows her. “Besides, don’t you have a show to star on?” 

Felicity knows her mother, especially how clingy she can get. Donna has no respect whatsoever for boundaries and to her privacy is nothing but an illusion. It has been a month and a half of limited dosages of Donna Smoak, and it’s not that Felicity hasn’t missed her mom because deep down she knows she has, however she definitely has enjoyed her freedom. Her mom being in Starling has bad idea written all over.

“Come on honey. Get changed so we can go get something to eat and I’ll tell you all about it.” 

“Fine.” 

* * *

 

It was Tuesday afternoon and Felicity had some laundry to do. She would’ve done it the day before had it not been for her mother unexpectedly showing up and taking up her time. She got back pretty late and time just wasn’t enough for getting her laundry done. Felicity caught up a little on what Sara and Laurel had done while in Central City, after that they went to bed. Normally at this time Felicity would be working on her homework with Max at the study hall but she had laundry duty so she brought her books with her to get some reading done while she waits for her clothes. 

First thing she does is empty her laundry bag into a washing machine then she notices that the laundry detergent bottle is empty. She goes over to the wall of cabinets and opens one of the lower lever cabinets by the corner. She stretches her arm in to grab a bottle and knocks it over. She crawls in to get the bottle and puts her hand on the back panel of the cabinet to steady herself when it rattles. Huh. She tests it out, knocking on it and sliding it up and down and side to side until it slides and reveals an entrance to a room.

Felicity looks over her shoulder back to the laundry room, the coast is clear. She peeks her head into the dark room but it’s to dark. Reaching for her phone she turns on her flashlight and points towards the darkness. Light beams in and illuminates a staircase from the top of the crawl space she’s at to the floor of the room. A mysterious room…Felicity makes up her mind and goes down the staircase. On the wall along the staircase she finds a light switch and flips it. 

The room is filled with cobwebs, dust and old mattresses and couches. There’s another door, another entrance to this mysterious room but it’s locked and chained. Deciding that she’d spent enough time down there she went up to the laundry room making sure to putting back the wood panel in its place. 

* * *

 

Working on an overdue ethics assignment that’s how Oliver lost track of time. He was in his room, working on his desk. He went to check the time on his phone when he saw the missed calls from both his parents and the single voicemail from his father, and he knew he was in trouble. 

**_“OLIVER JONAS QUEEN! Where the HELL are you?! We will talk about your inability to show up when I need you to.”_ **

Oh crap! He sounded beyond pissed. And Robert Queen is not a man you want to anger. The message was from two hours ago, there was no way to fix this. Oliver started to get antsy and worried about what his father would do to him. Feeling like the air had been knocked out of him he needed a distraction. On the floor he spotted his dirty laundry. Laundry. Oliver decided to for once in his life to do his laundry. Without thinking twice about it he picked it up. Usually either Tommy did his laundry or his flavor of the month did.

When he entered the laundry room he was already annoyed to find Felicity sitting on top of one of the machines reading a book. She didn’t acknowledge him being there though he knew she was looking at him expectantly. He opened the dryer and emptied his dirty laundry bag, Felicity snorted. 

“What?!” He snapped at her.

“That’s the dryer.” She said lifting her eyes away from her book.

She went back to her book and he opened the machine next to his dryer to transfer the clothes from one machine to the other. “Still a dryer.” She said without even looking back at him.

He stood there gawking at her his arms crossed.

She finally gave in, “This one,” she patted the machine next to her, “is a washer.” She jumped off the washer and stood next to him supervising his actions. “Just FYI, to tell them apart: the washers have the lid on top, the dryers in the front.”

“Hmm. Okay.” Oliver loaded the washer and was about to shut it when Felicity grabbed his arm and stopped him, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! The blazers idiot!” 

“What?” 

“Take them out, unless you like pink underwear. I mean there’s nothing wrong with pink undies. Almost all my undies are pink, which you didn’t need to know about.” Why on God’s green earth was she babbling like an idiot? “Oh my god! You have never done your laundry!” She laughed to cover up the undies talk.

“No.” He admitted.

He stared as Felicity opened a small drawer and pointed at it, “This one is for the detergent, this one is for bleach which BTW you won’t be needing and this one is for the softener.” Oliver grabbed the detergent and fabric softener and filled the dispensers. He struggled with the buttons but managed without Felicity’s guidance. 

“McKenna or Tommy usually do my laundry.”

“I bet she’s doing _his_ laundry now.” She muttered and hid behind her book and jumped back up to the washer. 

Oliver looked around the room, “Where’s the wheelchair?”

“I don’t need it anymore.” She answered without disrupting her reading.

“And where’s your boyfriend?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend!” She responded defensively putting down her book.

“I saw you and Max leave together on Saturday.” Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Felicity’s explanation. 

“Whatever. One date does not make him my boyfriend.” 

After a beat of silence Felicity’s machine stopped spinning and she jumped off to transfer her clothes to the dryer. Oliver just stood there observing her, taking mental notes on how one does laundry. He noticed she dropped something, something pink. Pink undies. He was about to tell her but then she bent down to load the dryer. His eyes roamed over her legs starting at her ankles and going all the way up to her thighs, and he got a peek at the black boy shorts she wore underneath her denim skirt, which had rode up due to the fact that she had a big ass. Something he hadn’t noticed before because of the wheelchair. Oliver’s pants quickly felt constricting…Oh NO! He was not getting hard over Felicity Smoak! This is not happening. He needed to do something else, he needed a distraction. 

He bent down to pick up the pink panties, his back towards Felicity. He glanced back over his shoulder at Felicity, who was still loading the dryer and suddenly he didn’t know what to do with them. If he pocketed them he’d look like a creep plus they were still wet so he tossed them into his washer. He was still pitching a tent, he took out his phone and googled pictures of sad puppies. Crisis adverted.

Once back in his room, Oliver was putting away his clean clothes when he found Felicity’s panties. He’d forgotten about them, he panicked and stashed them under his mattress.

* * *

 

Wednesday morning John Diggle was enjoying a cup of coffee. It was first period but since he had that one assigned as his free period he was the only teacher in the teachers’ lounge. John was catching up on reading assignments of the senior class. He was reading Oliver’s paper. Diggle gave options on the topics for this paper and he was impressed by Oliver’s choice: _Do people always do what they desire?_ Oliver’s opinion was all over the place, varying from _people do what they desire depending on how it affected other people’s lives_ to _people do what they want because they’re selfish/it is what makes them happy._ Diggle got the impression that there’s more to Oliver than he lets people perceive. Mornings were usually quiet but today John could hear some shouting and bickering coming from the room next door: Parents room. 

John stood outside the room on stand by in case he needed to intervene.

“I am sick and tired of this, Oliver. Next time when I need you I’ll have someone come and pick you up.” Robert exited the room and slammed the door. “Good morning, Mr. Diggle.” He greeted John all calm and collected as if he hadn’t just scolded  Oliver.

“Morning, Mr. Queen.”

John entered to the parents room but didn’t say a word, he just closed the door and stood there taking in the scene. Oliver sat on the couch facing opposite the door, so he didn’t see Diggle come in he just heard the door open and close. Oliver was looking down to the floor and stroking his left cheek and sniffling.

“If you’re here to hit me again…” That confirmed what Diggle suspected.

Digg walked over and sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder making Oliver meet his eyes, “Are you okay?”

 “Yeah” Oliver whispered as he avoided Diggle’s eyes.

“Does that happen a lot?” When Oliver didn’t respond John said, “You can trust me.”

“No, he’s not abusive if that’s what you’re getting at. He just got angry.”

“Oliver, look at me. If you ever need help you can come to me. I know he’s your father and him being the mayor--I get that he has connections everywhere, he’s got the power to make any problem disappear. I’m just saying…I’m looking out for you.” 

“Thanks, Mr. Diggle.”

“I told you to call me Digg or Diggle. Now, is there anything I can do to help, do you need anything?” 

Oliver thought about it, “Hmm, yes. Could you excuse me from History, my dad cornered me before I could make it to the classroom.” 

“Sure, Dinah will understand.”

“Actually since Mrs. Lance is leaving now it’s Ms. Michaels.” Oliver walked to the door and stopped on his way out, “Thanks, Digg.” 

John took care of Oliver’s absence from History. Ms. Michaels didn’t really like it but she understood. 

* * *

 

 That day at lunch Felicity left school early to make it on time for her last PT appointment, Donna was meeting her there at the hospital. This meant that Felicity missed when the shit hit the fan. She got the text just like everyone else at school did.

* * *

 

At school everyone sat in the dining hall when cellphones started beeping and vibrating all at the same time. They all received the same text.

_**TEXT FROM 11-59:** _

_**There’s a new hot couple in school. But this one has a twist, she’s got a boyfriend! Guess who is the biggest idiot in school…Oliver Queen.** _

Oliver slammed his hand on the table, got up and here was Tommy coming over to the table with his lunch tray on his hands. Tommy was unaware about what was happening but he sensed everyone was looking at him. Tommy arrived at the table and had barely put his tray down when Oliver grabbed him from the lapels of his blazer, “You’ve been hooking up with McKenna?!” 

“Oliver, no. It’s not like that!” That’s all he needed to hear. On his way out he announced to McKenna that they were done. 

Oliver grabbed his bag and ran out straight for his room. He went to his closet and dug out the bottle of vodka he’d hidden back there. He drank half the bottle but it wasn’t enough. He needed more. He looked through the desks in his room and found what looked to be an ecstasy tab and Tommy’s car keys. He grabbed those and ditched school. He didn’t know where to go but he just couldn’t handle it anymore, first his father and now this? Oliver felt the drugs and the alcohol in his system and it made him feel so much better, like walking underwater.

* * *

 

Oliver woke up to an unknown beeping sound. He opened his eyes though they still felt heavy, he meant to sit up but his neck and back were sore so he just laid back. The room smelled like Chanel No.5 his mom’s perfume. “Mom?”

“Oliver! My beautiful boy, you had me so worried. What were you thinking?” 

Oliver had no words he just laid there in his mother’s comfort until Robert showed up. “Moira, give us a moment.” Moira followed suit. 

Robert stood there looking very serious and stern. 

“Dad, I –”

“No! You shut up! You’re set on destroying me. Don’t you care about my image? Doesn’t it worry you at all what people might be saying about your father?” Robert was beyond pissed.

“L-Let me talk.” Oliver said hoarsely. 

“No!” Robert snapped. “I’m not here to listen to you or your excuses. I came here to tell you that if you think that just because you’re my son that you’re gonna get away with this, your thinking could not be more wrong. This time you’re on your own and I’m not gonna save you. You went too far. You could’ve killed someone, kill yourself. You stole a car, got drunk and high, crashed the car and ended up here in the hospital.”

“Dad, I’m going to fix this.”

“There’s no fixing this, Oliver. My trust cannot be.”

Oliver scoffed and let out a sigh, “Of course, You’ve never trusted me. The only thing you ever see in me is the bad, huh?”

“Is there anything good to see in you?” Robert reached into his jacket pocket and gave Oliver an envelope. “I just wanted the pleasure to give you this in person.”

“What is that?”

“Your sentence. This is the last thing I ever do for you.”

Oliver’s eyes widened, “sentence?”

“You certainly didn’t expect to just walk out of here like nothing ever happened. Be thankful you’re not looking at jail time, just some community service.” And with that Robert exited the room. 

“I’m okay by the way thanks for asking!”

While in the middle of the heated argument with his father, he’d noticed a familiar blonde ponytail by the door. She waited until Robert left to make sure her presence was acknowledged. “I can see you out there. Come in.” He instructed.

Felicity entered the room looking somewhat nervous and hesitant. She stood by the foot of the bed, “How are you feeling?”

“You’re the first to ask me that.” He noted not really answering her question. “Why do you care?”

“Why don’t you?” She dodged the question as well. 

“No one else does, why should I?” Oliver adjusted the bed so now he was sitting.

Felicity crossed her arms over her chest, “That’s not true. Your mom cares, Diggle cares and Tommy cares.”

“Diggle? Tommy?”

“Yeah, I saw them in the waiting room. You’re not really allowed to have visitors.”

“Then how did you get in?” He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion.

“I was already here. I actually saw when they brought you in.” Felicity flashbacked into the scene. 

_Felicity was passing by the emergency room entrance when the doors opened and in came the paramedics. “17 year old male, totaled his car, blunt trauma to the head, multiple contusions on both arms. Stats are normal but was found unconscious in the field.” Felicity caught a glimpse of his hair between the commotion but wasn’t 100% sure that it was Oliver._

_The doctors barked orders about CT scans, tox screens and something called a trauma panel. Felicity followed them around, she tried to be sneaky but a nurse spotted her when Oliver was getting a CT. She told the nurse that she was there for her appointment with Dr. Andrews and that she had gotten lost on the way to his office. Felicity went to her appointment and carried on as she usually did. After her appointment she asked around for Oliver and a nurse pointed to his room but told her that he wasn’t allowed to have visitors. So Felicity waited nearby to catch Oliver alone._

“And you.” 

Felicity stared back at Oliver confused. “What about me?”

“You said that my mom, Tommy and Diggle care…and you. You do too. Am I right?” He asked almost teasingly.

“Hmm. I’m gonna let that one pass just because you did hit your head pretty hard and I’m going to assume you’re on pain meds. Bye, Oliver.” Felicity headed for the door.

“Felicity, before you go.” She turned around, “Could you maybe sneak Tommy up here?”

“I can try. I make no promises though.” 

“Thank you.” 

* * *

 

Apparently Felicity was very resourceful, she was able to get Tommy up to his room. Once Tommy arrived Oliver went straight to the point and avoided Tommy’s apologies. Tommy gave up on apologizing when Oliver told him that he couldn’t deal with that at the moment. Instead Oliver asked Tommy where did he get drugs.

“We don’t _do_ drugs, Tommy. Where did you get it?”

“That’s rich coming from you. Especially since _you_ were the one looking for drugs.”

“Tommy…I’m being serious here. I found it on your desk, so cut the crap! Where did you get it?” 

“Max.”

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 11 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Who's behind the text, what up with Max, Donna extends her stay, Psych evaluation.


	12. The kicker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drugs, Vengeance, Tommy and Oliver aftermath, Talk about sex, Shit hits the fan AGAIN! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is more fast paced because there’s a lot going on at the same time. Drama up ahead proceed with caution! I was having trouble posting this chapter but I got it fixed. Here's the whole thing! Enjoy!  
> BTW I'm now on tumblr too. :) http://sparklefics.tumblr.com

Max had been wanting to break up with Laurel ever since he went sky diving with Felicity, but then Laurel's mom was moving to Central City and he couldn’t bring himself to break her heart. Prior to the 11-59 incident Max had started hanging out more with Tommy. Max needed some advice on what to do, which is why he befriended Tommy, to get some guy advice. Max had never been in this predicament, torn between two great girls. He kept his distance from both girls. He texted with Laurel but interactions with Felicity were kept to a minimum, only during class never after school like they normally did. 

The past Monday, before 11-59, Max had some businesses to tend to. Though Max appeared to be a good kid he was mixed up with shady stuff like selling drugs. It’s something he did before for fun and to earn some quick cash but once he was way too deep he couldn’t get out. So looking to expand the business he’d noticed how well connected was Tommy in school, he ought to join him in his business affairs, they would both benefit. Max sat down with Tommy that Monday while Oliver was taking a shower. He offered him an in and a sample of the product. 

“You can sample the product, but if want to do business you can’t be eating the candy. You understand?”

Tommy didn’t get a chance to react let alone decline Max's offer because Oliver stepped out of the bathroom.  Tommy looked up when the door opened warning Max about Oliver’s presence. 

“Just think about it, okay?” Max opened one of the drawers and dropped something in there and patted Tommy’s back and walked back to his side of the room. 

* * *

 

For the remainder of the week Felicity was still very curious about that mysterious dark room under the laundry room. She went back a couple times to check it out. With a proper and thorough cleaning the room could be a nice hideaway, so that’s what she did. After school, Felicity would sneak off to ‘study by herself' or to ‘do laundry'. 

Felicity played music from her music library on her tablet. She would sing along to her favorite Imagine Dragons songs. She loved them and they reminded her of home in Vegas. She’d seen them live a couple times throughout their rise to stardom, they gave her hope. Felicity admired that if they could make it outside of Vegas she could too. As Destination drew to an end a familiar tune started playing. Yellow, Oliver’s version of the song. How did that get there? Hmm. Felicity kept cleaning the room, at some point she started to sing along to Oliver’s voice and harmonizing. Though Oliver had a beautiful voice Felicity’s harmonies made the song sound even better.

 Felicity cleaned the room as much as possible, which consisted of moving all that was trash to one corner of the room while she made most of the room livable again. When she was cleaning she found a black box with a single white handprint and it was full of papers, blank papers. Everything in the room looked like trash except for that box. The box looked like it was significantly newer so she kept it. 

* * *

 

After the accident, Oliver stayed home until Monday, then he went back to school. During his time at home Oliver had time think about what happened, Tommy visited him but he still couldn't bring himself to forgive him. Oliver avoided talking about it, instead they would talk about school. One of the things they did talk about was Max. Tommy explained to Oliver what Max had proposed.

"I told you. I don't like him. I knew there was something fishy about him."

"Should we rat him out?" Tommy wondered out loud. 

Oliver thought about it, "not yet."

"Why not? We know what he's doing."

"Well technically you know. We're going to need more evidence if we're serious about this."

Tommy and Oliver agreed to spy on Max, using Tommy as the liaison. Tommy would keep an eye on Max, follow him around and see what he’s up to before reporting him to the principal.

“Oliver, I know you don’t want to talk about it yet but I won’t stop apologizing, even though I honestly have nothing to apologize for.” 

Every single time Tommy tried to apologize Oliver would get agitated and annoyed. “Tommy, if you wanna make this better, if you wanna fix this then I’m gonna need you to stop talking about it. I don’t want to know what did or did not happen. I honestly don’t care. What I care about right now if finding who is responsible for sending that text.”

“I can help with that.” 

While he and Oliver brainstormed on who could be behind the text, Tommy made a list profiling the culprit. So far they knew it had to be someone who was absent from the dining room that Wednesday, someone who’s tech savvy, someone who knew about McKenna and Tommy. They couldn’t make up their minds so they conformed with having made a profile. After that Tommy went back to school and Oliver stayed home. 

“I’ll see you on Monday.”

“You’re coming back to school already?”

“Yeah, can’t hide here forever.”

Tommy looked guilty, “well, I guess I'll see you on Monday.”

“Keep a close eye on Max!” Oliver reminded Tommy on his way out. 

* * *

 

That weekend Donna was walking through the school looking for Felicity when she overheard a conversation between two girls coming from the parents room. 

“Joanna, how do you know when you’re ready?”

“Ready for what?”

“For…sex” the girl lowered her voice. 

“There’s nothing to be ready for. I mean, there’s no way to prepare for it. The first time is always the same for everyone it hurts, it’s over quickly. Just do it and move on. I gotta go, see you later.” 

“Bye.”

One of the girls still sat on one of the couches when Donna entered the room and closed the door. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation…”

“Oh great!” the girl buried her head in her hands. 

“Do you mind…” Donna pointed towards the space beside the girl. 

“Yeah, go ahead.” 

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about…” Donna sat beside the girl but didn’t know how give the girl the advice she wanted to gently so she did it her way. This poor scared girl, it reminded Donna of her own little girl, who was no longer a little girl a fact she just realized. Donna had yet to give Felicity the sex talk, so she thought that if she could talk about sex with this girl she can certainly do so with her daughter. “She’s wrong, you know? Your friend, about the first time.”

“But what if I’m not ready?” The girl looked over at the strange woman who was dressed a little too provocatively to be anyone’s mom. The woman looked strangely familiar but she knew they’d never met before.  

“If you’re not ready for sex then you shouldn’t even be thinking about it. When you’re ready you’ll now. Your body will let you know.” Donna could see the girl get exasperated, “Sex is not something you do on a deadline, this is not like getting your driver’s license. Turn 16 punch a card and move on.”

“I’m 17.” The girl admitted ashamed. 

“That’s okay, honey.  Sex is very complicated especially if you’re not ready. It’s something that strengthens the relationship. See, sex is not about the act itself, it’s about intimacy and vulnerability, about sharing something as precious and delicate as your body and soul. It creates a stronger bond, connection between partners.”

“It’s just kind of humiliating that whenever my boyfriend gets too close or too handsy I get scared like a baby. I shut him down and he respects me but I’m afraid that he’ll think I’m immature.”

“If he thinks you’re immature then he’s not the boy for you. What you’re doing is very mature, it takes a strong person to admit when they’re not ready for sex instead of giving in to the pressure.” Donna said with a smile and offered her hand to the girl, “Donna.”

“Laurel” the girl responded. 

“Lance?”

Laurel’s face went pale and her eyes widened with realization, “Please don’t tell me you know my dad! This could not get more embarrassing.”

Donna chuckled, “I do know your father. But don’t worry I won’t mention any of this to anyone. It stays between us. Girl code.” She added a wink of reassurance. She glanced at her phone to check the time “Whoops! I gotta go get my baby!” She got up from the couch and so did Laurel. They hugged good-bye and Donna went to meet with Felicity. 

* * *

 

On Monday Oliver showed up to school determined to get the truth behind the 11-59 text. He had some time to think about it and narrowed down the list of suspects to Felicity, Max and McKenna. He was 99% sure Felicity was behind it though because she had a motive: she hated him. She was also tech savvy, he still didn’t know how she found out about his singing. Plus she had previous beef with McKenna. The more he thought about it the more he convinced himself that she was the culprit. Oliver would get his revenge but because revenge is a dish that’s best served cold he decided to wait a couple of weeks before he gave back as good as he got.

* * *

 

Tommy and Oliver kept their distance at school but they kept in touch via text message. The mission was on. Tommy was spying on Max, it lasted for a whole week until Max asked Tommy to deliver some drugs to some guys from the junior class. 

T: Ollie! I’ve got him! He asked me to deliver some merch to some juniors. And he’s also been sneaking around with Laurel. 

T: Principal Lance is gonna wanna throw him out of school just for that!

O: With Laurel? Are you sure? 

T: that’s what you picked up from that?!

T: Ollie 

T: he gave me the drugs!!! So do we rat him out or what? 

O: Yes! Be sure to get Diggle on your side, like you said he gave you drugs. He might wanna drag you down with him.  

O: Is he really with Laurel?

T: Are you jealous and crushing on Laurel?

O: TOMMY! :@  I’m serious! (Besides I would never do that to you.)

T:  ):

T:  I’m sure.

O: I know about your crush on L.  

O: It’s just that…apparently L is not the only one going out with Max.

T: What?!

T: Who else is?

O: Felicity.

T: Your Felicity?

O: The one and only. -_-

O: We need to make sure this asshole gets kicked out of school. D:

* * *

 

Finally! Something he could use as vengeance. Max was cheating on her or using her, either way she wasn’t the only girl going out with Max. Oliver wanted to deliver the news to Felicity. He was getting some coffee and on his way back to the study hall he passed by her and she was doing something on her laptop. Her laptop! It triggered him right there and then, all plans for vengeance went out the window. He was doing this right now. He walked over and stopped right in front of her.  

“Hey!”

“Hey yourself, Trainwreck…” she acknowledged his presence but didn’t even look up at him. 

“You don’t even have the decency to look at me. Coward! Hiding behind a laptop.” Felicity looked up at him both surprised and confused by his outburst. He kept going, “If kicking people is what you like, goading them to do whatever you want at least have the balls to look at them, look at their faces. I know what you did! But I guess Karma knows too.”

“What the hell is your problem?! What are you talking about?”

Oliver smirked before delivering the news about Max. “We’re not so different you and me. People using us and then moving on to the next thing.”

Felicity was very confused, “I don’t follow.”

Oliver scoffed, “Of course you don’t. He’s cheating on you. Max is also going out with another girl. And since Karma works in wonderful ways…” He smirked clearly enjoying this, “Max is going out with Laurel.”

Felicity’s eyes watered but she didn’t dare cry in front of Oliver. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “How dare you?” But then Oliver did something she wasn’t expecting, he took the lid off his coffee and poured it on Felicity’s laptop. “OH NO YOU DID NOT!”

“That’s for the text!” 

All hell broke loose. 

Felicity grabbed Oliver by his loose tie and pulled him down to her level. “Listen Ass! And listen good! Whatever it is you think I did…what’s gonna happen now you’re gonna wish you’ve never been born. And I’m looking at you in the eyes, not from behind a computer, I’m telling you…You’ve just made this personal. You’ve messed with the wrong bitch!” 

Oliver was revisiting his policy on hitting girls, he wanted to smack her. He was so angry. Any speck of pity he had for Felicity, for her being used just like he had, for being hurt just like he had, it was gone. When he saw her there with her laptop, he imagined what her face must’ve looked like all smug and satisfied when she sent the text. He was about to say something back, he noticed the room had gone completely silent as Mr. Diggle approached. 

“What’s going on here?”

Felicity let go of Oliver’s tie and turned around to see Diggle. 

“Nothing.” Oliver answered.

“Then you won’t mind meeting with me at the teachers’ lounge. Now. Both of you.” 

Once in the teachers’ lounge Diggle took in the appearance of Oliver and Felicity. Oliver was disheveled, the tie around his neck was loose, shirt untucked, blazer nowhere in sight. Felicity was put together unlike Oliver, but she had a coffee stain on her shirt and skirt, her blazer was being used to wrap her laptop which was still dripping coffee. They sat on opposite ends of the same couch.

“Okay. Who wants to tell me what happened?” Digg asked as he looked between the pair.

Oliver started, “I accidentally spilled my latte on her laptop and she--”

“And by ‘accidentally’ he means on purpose. He walked up to me and deliberately chose to drown my computer because he hates me and somehow his pea brain thought it was best to destroy my laptop.” Felicity cut in.

John sat back on the couch arms crossed, “Well, two things: You either hate each other or you like each other. But one thing is clear,” Digg held up his hand letting them know not to interrupt him, “you don’t really know each other. So I will leave you here so you can talk and get to know each other, I’ll be back in two hours so make up your mind. When I get back you gotta explain to me whether you like or hate each other and why. If you don’t cooperate I’ll tell Lance about the coffee incident and make sure you  guys get a proper punishment.” Diggle got up from the couch and walked out, before shutting the door he pointed out, “Oh and by the way I’ll be out here so don’t even think about trying to sneak out.”

 The door had barely closed shut and Felicity was already jumping up from the couch and pacing the room. “If I get in trouble because of you…” 

Oliver rolled his eyes and remained quiet. They both stayed quiet for a long time.

“Is it true? What you said about Max and Laurel?” Felicity broke the silence.

Oliver felt bad for her, he did but he also knew she’d appreciate the truth even if it hurt. “Yes.”

“Son of a bitch!” Felicity wiped a stray tear away and sat back down on the couch beside Oliver.

“I’m—I didn’t mean to tell you like I did. I was going to tell you the truth, I figured I owed you for what you did for me back at the hospital. But I also know that you’re the one that sent that text to everyone at school, which is why when I saw you I couldn’t help myself and I drowned your laptop.” 

“You idiot! I did no such thing!” 

“I’ve got evidence that says otherwise.” Felicity looked at him expectantly so he continued with his theory. “Fact #1: You hate me. Fact #2: You hate McKenna. Fact #3: You’ve got some weird computer skills, I still don’t know how you got a hold of my computer files. Fact #4: You weren’t at school when shit hit the fan. Need more? Cause I’ve got more.”

“Facts one through four are accurate but on fact #4 you’re wrong. Yes I wasn’t at school but it’s because I was at the hospital.”

“You probably programmed the thing!”

“Ugh! Screw you! I didn’t do it. Believe me or don’t either way I don’t care.”

They stayed silent again until Diggle showed up. “So, what’s the verdict?”

“We still hate each other.” Felicity said as she began to gather her things.

“Before you go, I talked to Lance and convinced him to let me handle this. So here’s what’s gonna happen. I talked to Dr. Turner, she’s a friend of mine and a psychiatrist. I’ve arranged for each of you to have a session with her. You’ll meet with her here in the teachers’ lounge. Oh and Felicity please close the door on your way out, I wanna talk to Oliver.”

“Sure, Mr. Diggle.” 

* * *

 

 “Oliver, what happened last Wednesday?” Diggle sat beside Oliver on the couch.

“Digg, I know you were at the hospital. I’m sure you know.”

“I do. I just want to hear your side of the story.”

Oliver took a deep breath, “There’s nothing much to say. I got upset about some things that happened that day so I got drunk and stole Tommy’s car and then crashed it.”

“Oliver, you need to work on your coping mechanisms. You can’t go around getting drunk and stealing cars or pouring coffee over innocent bystanders every time you get upset.”

Oliver chuckled, “She’s not innocent. And what do you suggest?”

Diggle thought about it, “How about a hobby? Sports, maybe? Anything that will let you get your frustrations out instead of taking them out on the people around you.”  

“That’s not how I normally do it, but I’ll try it your way.”

* * *

 

Felicity looked everywhere for Laurel, in the end she decided to have her paged to the principal’s office. 

**_Laurel Lance please report to the principal’s office._ **

Laurel showed up and met with Felicity. 

“Oh! Hey Felicity, I can’t talk right now. My dad is expecting me.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’m the one who paged you, I’ve been looking for you all over school. We need to talk, in private.” 

Laurel looked at Felicity confused, “Everything okay?”

“I hope so. Let’s go to our room.”

They went back to their room and sat in the second floor on the little couches. 

“Felicity, you’re making me nervous. What’s going on?”

“Laurel, I’ve never had friends before so I have no idea how to tell you what I’m about to tell you.” Felicity, who was still wearing her coffee stained uniform, played with the hem of her skirt.

“It’s okay just tell me.” Laurel took Felicity’s hands in her own and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Felicity blew out a breath before telling Laurel everything about Max. “It’s about Max.” Felicity looked at Laurel expecting some sort of reaction but Laurel didn’t even bat an eyelash so Felicity continued, “How long have you been going out with Max?” Felicity shocked Laurel with that question, apparently the relationship must’ve been secret. “Don’t lie.”

“Umm, almost a month. It was supposed to be a secret. Did he say something to you?”

“It’s not about what he said as much as what he didn’t say and what he did do.” 

“I don’t understand.” 

“I went out with Max. On a date. Twice, I think.” Laurel remained silent. “The first time it was me that asked him, but I don’t think he understood that I meant for it to be a date. He never said anything about him dating anyone so I thought he was single, otherwise I never would’ve asked him. He did however, that same day, asked me to go out with him on Saturday, so I said yes. That he knew it was a date. I may have thrown myself at him but he didn’t stop me. That was that weekend you spent at Central City. And I meant to tell you about it but then you had to deal with your mom moving to Central City so I never told you, plus he never asked me out again. In fact he has barely talked to me.” 

“I honestly don’t know what to say. But now that you mention it Max has been acting weird since I went to CC. But how did you know I was going out with him?”

“Oliver told me because he knew I went out with Max. I didn’t believe him until now. Oliver hates me so it wouldn’t surprise me if what he said wasn’t true. But I guess it is.”

Laurel was now bawling her eyes out. Felicity wrapped her arms around Laurel and tried to comfort her. “Laurel, I’m so sorry. I never would’ve gone out with him if I’d known…Why didn’t you tell me?” Felicity kept rubbing circles on Laurel’s back.

“It’s not your fault, Felicity. I’m so pathetic! I should’ve seen this coming from the first day!”

“What do you mean?”

“He asked me to keep our relationship a secret. Felicity! Oh god! I almost had sex with him!” She was crying even harder now.

“Oh Laurel. We have to get even. Vengeance!”

_**Max Fuller report to the principal’s office immediately!** _

That was Quentin Lance speaking through the PA system, usually his secretary did that not him. 

“Looks like maybe we won’t have to.” Felicity said.

* * *

_**Max Fuller report to the principal’s office immediately!** _

In his room, Oliver smirked when he heard principal Lance’s voice asking for Max. Max was hanging out in his room when he got called to the principal’s office. He got up from his bed and out the door he went. As soon as the door closed, Oliver got up from his desk and walked over to Max’s side of the room and started gathering his things. He even cleared out his closet. Tommy came back a couple of minutes before Max.

“Dude! He is so getting thrown out of school.” Tommy cackled and high fived Oliver.

“Excellent.”

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 12

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Vengeance! and that psych evaluation.


	13. Getting even

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vengeance, psych evaluation, 11-59 is revealed. [You'll never guess who actually did it :P]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO :D [This chapter picks up at the end of chapter 12]  
> I'm very excited for this chapter. I'm introdoucing a major plot point in this chapter and one character. There'll be more characters as that part of the plot unfolds.  
> Okay, moving on. This story will probably be more than 20 chapters long. So I'll throw you a bone: The first half deals heavily with Oliver's life. The second half is all about Felicity.
> 
> Side note: I have a tumblr! Follow me for updates and ask questions and shit. :P I'm new to this so mainly I just post links to the fic and what little art work I can get done in my tablet.  
> sparklefics.tumblr.com  
> Okay now enjoy!  
> Please comment I need the feedback.

That afternoon after endless apologies to one another Laurel and Felicity started planning their revenge on Max. They thought about all the things they could do to humiliate him. So far the best they could come up with was to schedule a date with him. For example, Laurel would set up the date but Felicity would be the one to show up, then later in the date Laurel would crash it. They agreed to do it over the weekend. 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Tommy told Oliver how things went down in the principal’s office. Tommy began by explaining how Max seemed very innocent and inoffensive. He told them how Max had befriended him and then he dropped the bomb. Max was dating Laurel as well as Felicity. While Tommy painted Max to be the bad guy, he started to understand why Oliver never liked him. 

Tommy told Lance about the first time Max offered him drugs and how he intended to sell them in school. Lance questioned why hadn’t Tommy come forth when that happened, he explained that the evidence he had, it was gone. With no evidence to prove Max’s guilt he needed to gather some so that when he did come forth Lance would believe him. 

Lance seemed convinced by Tommy, especially since Tommy handed back the drugs. Lance summoned Max to the office. He grilled Max on the matter of the drugs and even on his cheating ways. Max was so angry at Tommy, he never thought Tommy would stab him in the back or in this case straight through his face. Tommy was dismissed so he couldn’t hear what Lance’s decision was but he was almost 100% sure Lance would throw him out. 

Now back in their room Tommy and Oliver waited for Max to show up.

But Max never came back.

* * *

 

Next morning Oliver and Tommy got ready for school. They kept looking at Max’s side of the room but his things were still there where Oliver had put them. 

They went to class but Max never showed up. None of the teachers eyen batted an eyelash. When Mr. Diggle was taking attendance Oliver couldn’t hold it in anymore and asked for Max. Diggle just said that Max was out sick that day.

Felicity looked at Laurel when Oliver asked about Max to Diggle. That was weird and out of place, considering that they shared a room. And why was Oliver all of the sudden interested in Max?

F: Text him. Ask him why he didn’t come to class today.

L: k.

* * *

Felicity was avoiding Oliver. She didn’t want a repeat of the coffee incident. She thought about it a lot. About all the things he said. He thought that Felicity was the one behind those texts. She wasn’t.

But she could find out who was.

That afternoon after class Felicity took it upon herself to find out who sent those texts. It would take longer hacking from her tablet, she missed her laptop. Stupid Oliver! He will pay! She sat on her bed ready to hack as Sara and Laurel both sat on their desks working on their homework. Sara had been very distant ever since her mom had moved to Central City. A knock on the door interrupted Felicity’s thoughts, “Hey, Felicity. Dr. Turner is already waiting for you in the teachers’ lounge.” It was Mr. Diggle.

Frack! She didn’t have time for this. She needed to get to the bottom of the 11-59 texts. Felicity got up from the bed and opened the door. “I’ll be there in 5 minutes.” 

“Okay, I’ll let her know.” 

“Wait! Digg!” 

“Yeah?”

“You’re not gonna be there right?” She asked nervously.

“No, no. I assure you whatever you talk about with Dr. Turner will stay with her. Patient-doctor confidentiality.” He winked at her. “I’ll let her know you’ll be there in 5.”

“Thanks, Digg.” With that Digg walked away and Felicity shut the door.

Felicity needed to get to bottom of the text, she couldn’t waste her time with a psychiatrist. She looked at Laurel. Hmm. No.

Sara however. 

Sara was perfect!

Felicity kneeled beside Sara. Sara looked at her like she’d grown a second head, “What?” 

Felicity busted out her secret weapon. Puppy dog eyes. “Sara, I need a huge favor.”

“What? What do you need? And does it involve kicking someone’s ass?” Sara pushed aside her books, all her attention was solely on Felicity. 

Felicity laughed at Sara’s eagerness to help, “I just need you to go to the teachers’ lounge and pretend to be me.” She rushed the words out, Sara could barely catch half of them. 

“Excuse me?”

Felicity explained to Sara about the coffee incident and that her punishment was to talk to Dr. Turner.

“If all you gotta do is talk to this lady, why don’t you do it?”

“Because I can’t. I’m busy with something else.”

“Why me though? Why don’t you ask Laurel?” Sara pointed towards her sister, who had her nose deep in her book.

“Because you’re the only one who can help me! Come on, Sara! Please, please, please with cherries on top!”

“Cherries on top?” Sara laughed. “I’m kidding. Of course I’ll do it.”

“Thanks so much, Sara. You’re a lifesaver.” Felicity hugged her and kissed her cheek. “Here, take my glasses just in case Diggle pops by. Make sure to sit with you back to the door.” Felicity handed her glasses to Sara as she instructed her on what to do.

“Now, should I pretend to be you when I talk to the lady?” Sara started to get up from her chair and moved around to avoid Felicity’s gaze, trying to hide her blushing cheeks.

“No, just say that your name is Felicity Smoak, the rest is up to you. Now go! Don’t make me late.”

When Sara shut the door Laurel spoke from where she sat, “Do I even wanna know?”

Felicity smiled. “I’m gonna find out who sent the text. Wanna see?”

“Hell yes!” Laurel jumped up, her homework long forgotten. 

“Did Max ever text you back?”

“No. It’s weird. He usually texts back within the hour.”

They sat on Felicity’s bed. Laurel watched as Felicity started hacking. She came across an IP address, following that trail she kept going. The IP address was from one of the computers in the school’s computer lab. The computer was logged on with… that could not be possible.

“Is that? Are you sure?” Laurel asked.

“Yes. Computers unlike people, don’t lie.” Felicity assured her.

Ray Palmer’s  student account. 

Ray was a senior, smart guy. Nerd, total nerd. Mostly kept to himself, he was socially awkward. 

“Ray Palmer?” Laurel questioned out loud.

“Someone had to put him up to that right?”

“Let’s go and ask him.”

“I can’t go anywhere. Remember I’m supposed to be in the teachers’ lounge.”

“I’ll do it.” Laurel offered. 

While Laurel went to get information from Ray, Felicity plotted her revenge on Oliver. He still owed her for drowning her laptop. Felicity came up with the perfect plan she just needed access to the school’s PA system. After a couple phone calls everything was set. It would all go down during lunch, the next day.

Laurel came back to the room and she wasn’t alone. She’d dragged Ray along still with his homework in hand. 

“Tell her what you told me!” Laurel instructed Ray.

“Laurel! What the hell is going on?” Felicity asked.

Ray seemed nervous and fidgety but he told Felicity just how good with computers he was. He explained that he mostly kept to himself because people always wanted him to hack into the school servers to change their grades or to steal tests. “She approached me, asking if I knew how to send anonymous text messages and I told her that I did. I didn’t know she wanted to send it to everyone in school. But she cornered me and threatened to get The League involved, so I panicked and I ended up doing what she wanted me to.”

“The League?” Felicity asked confused. “Wait, who’s she?”

“McKenna Hall. And The League, you just don’t wanna know them. The less you know the better but you should know that they don’t like us scholarship kids.”

Whoa! That’s a lot of information to take in. Felicity thought back to when she confronted McKenna. 

_“I’m gonna give you some advice on how to survive in this school. There are some people you do not want to piss off. There are people in the elite as you say, that don’t like the scholarship kids.”_

_People you do not want to piss off._

_The League, they don’t like us scholarship kids._

_What the hell goes on in this school?_  Damn mysteries! And damn Felicity’s curiosity and her need to know things and get to the bottom of them. The League would have to wait. But she could go to Oliver and tell him who was ultimately responsible for the texts. 

“Ray I’m gonna need you to come with me.”

* * *

 

Felicity found Oliver playing pool with Tommy in the game room. It was the hangout space, the only place in school where the kids could unwind and have fun, watch TV, listen to music. 

“Incoming.” Tommy warned Oliver but he didn’t understand what Tommy was referring to.

Oliver’s back was towards Felicity, he was getting ready to hit the cue ball when someone pulled the stick out of his hands.

“What the hell?!” He turned around to find Felicity and that nerd he couldn’t remember his name but he knew the kid was also a senior.

“Hey, Trainwreck.”

Great, just what he needed. He was just starting to have fun with Tommy and she pops up. He’d been avoiding another incident with her but apparently she was asking for it. “What do you want?”

“A couple of things I won’t get. Like for starters an apology for ruining my laptop, my school uniform, which btw I had to buy a new one. And finally I would like you to apologize for being wrong, but that won’t be happening any time soon. So it’s not about what I want but about what I have for you.”

“Which is what exactly? A lecture, mom?” He asked mockingly.

Felicity stepped around him and looked at the pool table, calculated some angles. She leaned over the table and hit the cue ball. Three balls went into three different directions and all went down the pockets. She smirked at Tommy who stood there with his mouth hanging open. 

“You could use some manners, but you knew that already.” She turned back around to face him. “This is about those texts you think I sent. I could’ve found out sooner had my laptop not been murdered.”

Oliver crossed his arms and expected her to continue her obviously practiced monologue. 

“The texts were sent from a computer in the school’s computer lab. The computer was accessed with Ray’s account. So technically Ray sent them. But it wasn’t his idea. Ray, whose idea was it?” Felicity gestured to Ray, asking him to step forward into the conversation.

“McKenna’s.” Ray finally spoke up.

Oliver remained silent and tried not to let his shock show. Sure, he was shocked and surprised but in the end it made sense. McKenna had been acting super jealous ever since she found out Oliver had taken Felicity to have dinner with his parents.

Felicity looked at Oliver straight in the eyes, without blinking. She shoved the stick back into his hands. “You will leave Ray out of this. It’s not his fault you’ve got a skanky girlfriend.” 

“Had.” Oliver muttered.

“Is that clear?”

Oliver nodded.

“Oh and by the way” She grabbed Oliver’s shoulders and brought him down to her personal space to whisper in his ear. “You still owe me for my computer. I will get my revenge.” She gently pinched his cheek and then smacked it.

“Bye Felicia.”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Very original, I’ve only heard that a thousand times.” She said as she left the game room with Ray.

Felicity asked Ray about The League. Ray told her what they did. They were called The League of Shadows, The League for short. They were a group of kids of the elite, identities unknown. They were anonymous and they did all sorts of crazy pranks on the scholarship kids. These pranks often got out of hand to the point where kids ended in the hospital. The League bullied the scholarship kids, harassed them so they’d crack under the pressure and leave the school for good. Ray mentioned his run-in with The League. They’d been harassing Ray during his sophomore year. He’d received anonymous letters asking him to drop out of school, and when he didn’t do it The League burnt his clothes and all of his books and notebooks. 

Felicity asked if he’d asked for help. He did. But none of the teachers would believe him. Ray would be constantly looking over his shoulder paranoid for the next attack. He had nightmares all throughout sophomore and junior year. He was still taking anxiety medication, that’s how extreme The League was. They’d literally drive you insane.

* * *

 

Unknown: Turn on Star 94.

“Hey, Rob. Turn on the radio. Star 94.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Queen.”

_**And now lets listen to this cover of Coldplay’s Yellow, by no other than Starling City’s Mayor Queen’s son, Oliver.** _

* * *

 

_**And now lets listen to this cover of Coldplay’s Yellow, by no other than Starling City’s Mayor Queen’s son, Oliver.** _

The school’s dining room was full. Felicity sat at her usual table staring into Oliver’s eyes. 

This was not happening. It could not be happening. Oliver’s song was on the radio and it was being played over the school’s PA system. This was not good. His heartrate picked up, he was starting to sweat and now he was actually getting dizzy. All he could focus on was Felicity’s smug smile, it made him want to puke. He needed to get out. He felt the same need to escape as he’d felt the day of the 11-59 text. Oliver ran out of the dining room but this time he went straight to the teachers’ lounge.

“Digg.”

Oliver led Digg back to his room so they could talk in private.

“He’s gonna kill me, Digg.” Oliver said as he paced the room. 

Oliver’s phone vibrated in his pocket. A text from his mother.

M: Oliver, I just heard your song on the radio. I’m so proud of you. Xoxo

Oliver smiled at his mother’s words. She’d always encouraged his love for music. After all she was the one who bought Oliver his first guitar and paid for his lessons. He wished his father would be as understanding as his mother. He didn’t get how they could be together, his parents were total opposites. They didn’t even seem to love each other, sometimes it seemed like they didn’t even liked each other. Oliver could only expect the worst from his father. And this stunt with him on the radio, he knew his father would hate it. He’d say that Oliver was embarrassing him.

“Is that him?” Digg asked.

“No, it was my mom. She says she's proud of me. But I imagine that dad is on his way.”

“I don't understand, wasn't this your idea? I didn't even know you could sing.”

“No, Felicity did this, she knows. And now so does everyone. FUCK!”

“This something you're passionate about, music. Right?”

“I don't know. And now I'll never get to find out. Like I said, dad is going to kill me!”

“What do you mean ‘Felicity did this’ ?” 

“She must've gotten my song on the radio, as part of her revenge. She said she’d get even for what I did to her.” 

“Maybe your dad wasn’t even listening to the radio.” Digg reasoned with Oliver.

Oliver finally gave up and took a seat on his bed. Never in his life had Oliver been this anxious. Robert would kill him, actually killing him would be too easy. He’d probably humiliate him in some way or cut him off, either way Oliver was screwed. Diggle sat there with Oliver trying to calm him down. It took thirty minutes for him to calm down, lunch was almost over which meant that he’d have to go back to class and face everyone. Oh god! He hadn’t even thought of that. And he didn’t get to think about it too much.

A loud voice came from the hallway, shouting, “This is the last thing he ever does!” 

His father burst through the door and he was not alone. Tailing him were Tommy and Felicity.

Felicity?

This day just kept getting worse and worse. 

Seeing how altered Robert was Diggle jumped up from where he sat on Oliver’s desk chair and stood between Oliver and his father.

“Oliver! We have to talk! Alone.”

“No, dad. It’s not what you think.” Oliver spoke up from behind Diggle, who didn’t move an inch, still protecting Oliver.

“You think I’m stupid? That I don’t know that this is the kind of shit you like to pull. Oliver this is very serious. The media is gonna have field day with this! Mayor’s son is now a rock star. Next thing it’ll be you on every cover of every magazine and newspaper. I don’t like this, Oliver. I don’t like this at all.” That didn’t sound too bad to Oliver. Oliver Queen: rock star. “I knew it from the moment your mother bought you that damn thing. Now you’ll get all wrapped up in it. The world of entertainment…is not gonna be good for you son. If anything most likely you’ll end up in rehab in a year or two from all the excessive partying, or you know dead with a needle in your arm.” 

Tommy and Felicity still stood by the doorway watching the whole exchange unfold. Diggle stepped aside and let Oliver take charge but still stood behind him in case anything happened.

“Dad, do you honestly believe me to be this horrible person? Do you believe I’ll end up dead with a needle in my arm? Do you have any faith in me, at all?” Oliver stepped closer towards his father. “Never mind, I already know the answers to those questions. Truth is you don’t care about me or my future. All you care about is your stupid political career.”

“Tommy, do something!” Felicity half shout half whispered to Tommy.

Robert raised his hand and slapped Oliver. It left a red mark on his cheek. A single tear slipped down his face. Oliver tried his best not to let his father see him cry, to see him be weak. Diggle stepped forward and stopped Robert from hitting him again. “Mr. Queen, violence won’t solve anything.”

Before Robert could say something back Tommy stepped forward, “Robert! It wasn’t Oliver! It was me! I sent that recording to the radio station.” Robert looked possessed, he was so pissed off his veins were popping all over his face. “I used Oliver’s name just to make sure they’d played it on the air. I am so, so sorry Mr. Queen.” 

Felicity felt so horrible and so guilty. As Tommy handled Robert she walked over to check on Oliver. She had no idea what to say or what to do. The only thing she could think of was to apologize. She couldn’t find the right words to say to Oliver, but man, oh man, did she have words to say to Robert. She turned back around, never engaging with Oliver, solely focused now on Robert. Robert who was now being escorted out of the room by Diggle.

“How dare you?! That’s your son! You should be ashamed of yourself. Granted he’s a bit of a douche but that’s on you, and he doesn’t deserve to be treated like this!” 

“Felicity that is enough!” Diggle warned her.

“Excuse me, Mr. Diggle but I’m not done. Someone needs to say this. I feel bad for Oliver, you are a horrible parent and human being and no matter how douchey or flawed Oliver is he still doesn’t deserve the burden to have you as a father.” With that Felicity turned back around and went back into Tommy and Oliver’s room.

Oliver sat on his bed still touching his cheek where his father left an imprint of his hand. Tommy and Oliver were silent as Felicity walked back in. Oliver was blown away by Felicity’s ballsyness no one ever talked to Robert that way. 

“Oliver, I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.” Once Felicity had apologized she left immediately not giving Oliver a chance to say anything.

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 13

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear in the next chapter I'll explain what Max is up to. You'll see Donna come back and Felicity deals with her guilt for what happened with Oliver, she wants to make it right. Plus there's this scene between Tommy and Felicity that happened before they showed up with Robert at Oliver's room. I decided not to include it in this particular chapter for plot reasons. I almost forgot, next chapter will have more Sara. Moira will make an appearance too. Next chapter will be basically about parents and their kids. :D  
> Please let me know what you think in the comments below!


	14. White flag

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donna comes back, Felicity deals with her guilt for what happened with Oliver, Tommy and Felicity scene, Sara, Moira.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think I'd be able to update this fast! Enjoy this miracle!! I have to apologize, I do feel bad for Oliver. But things have to get worse before they get better. Sorry/not/sorry. LOL

_Tommy had noticed Oliver staring at Felicity. He connected the dots. This is why Felicity had showed up at the game room the day before. Whatever she’d said to Oliver it had to do with his song being on the radio. Tommy was about to ask Oliver if he was okay,  he looked terrible all pale and clammy and then he stormed out of the dining room. Immediately Tommy got up from his chair and went over to Felicity._

_“We have to talk. Now.” Tommy walked out and Felicity followed. They stood outside the dining room, “Why would you do this?”_

_Felicity rolled her eyes. Where did Tommy get off on reproaching her for what she did? Where did all this sudden loyalty to Oliver come from? He certainly had no problem shoving his tongue down his best friend’s girlfriend. “Oh, please! Like you even care! What does it even matter to you?”_

_“I care! He’s my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers and I was the only who knew about his singing up until today. You took that from him! And now his dad will probably disown him. You will fix this! You owe him!”_

_“OWE?! I OWE HIM?!”_

_Tommy scoffed, “Max cheats on you and then magically disappears? Who do you think made that happen?”_

_What? Felicity’s eyes widened in shock. “What?” She whispered._

_Tommy reached into his pocket and opened his text messages. “Here, look for yourself.” Felicity read the whole conversation. She was a little dumbfounded at the mentions of selling drugs something she never thought Max would be capable of. And apparently Tommy had been crushing on Laurel? Unexpected. Felicity chose to ignore the part where Tommy referred to her as Oliver’s and Oliver didn’t set him straight. She chose to not dwell on that and listen to what Tommy had to say._

_“I stuck out my neck over this. I did this for him. And I don’t know why we did what we did to Max but I know that it had something to do with you. So now you owe him. And I know what those messages said. Not a word of this to Laurel. Understood?”_

_“Yeah. Okay.”_

_Robert showed up making a scene in the dining room asking for Oliver. Tommy and Felicity followed him around. “Fix this, Smoak!” Tommy said as he dragged her along._  

* * *

 

That afternoon John took it upon himself to contact Oliver’s mother. He briefed Moira on what had happened between Oliver and Robert including the slap. 

“With all due respect Mr. Diggle but I don’t understand why I was called in here. I mean, usually both Robert and I get summoned whenever something happens. Our kids’ education is something we’re both involved in.”

“Well, Mrs. Queen I thought you could talk to your son. He needs someone to talk to, since he can’t talk with his father. I tried talking to him, he’s not okay. I even talked to my friend Dr. Turner, she’s a psychiatrist, to see if he’d talk to her but he skipped on the session. I thought he’d be more comfortable talking to you, ma’am.”  

“Oh, come on Mr. Diggle you’re making out Robert to be the bad guy here. He’s not a monster, he loves Oliver just as much as I love him. Besides Oliver is a teenager a little conflict between parents and kids is normal.”

“And I understand Mrs. Queen, but not every teenager gets into physical fights with their father.” 

“Did that happen?” Moira asked truly shocked by Diggle’s statement. 

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“That’s impossible. Robert would never allow for that to happen. Ollie is just a kid, it was probably a prank or something.” Moira tried to reason with John.

“Oliver is not a kid. He’s a teenager and the way I see it he’s angry and lashing out randomly. Just the other day he poured coffee over a classmate’s laptop. He also had that accident where he stole his best friend’s car and then crashed it.”

“Excuse me, professor Diggle but I don’t find this assessment to be truthful. I mean I know my son he’s a happy kid and he’s got everything he needs.”

“What he needs is to be able to talk to someone in his family. Like you, you’re his mother and he should be able to talk to you. If he can’t talk to you then who’s he supposed to trust with his thoughts and feelings?”

“Well, excuse me but I won’t stand for this.” Moira got up from where she sat.

“I’m sorry Mrs. Queen. I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m just looking out for Oliver.”

* * *

 

After school Tommy and Oliver sat down in the seating area on the second fool of the bedroom and had a way overdue conversation. Oliver didn’t know where to start so he started by questioning Tommy’s actions. Taking the fall for Oliver and being on the end of Robert’s wrath was the ultimate sacrifice. 

“It was Felicity’s idea. It was a long shot but it worked.” Tommy shrugged as if it was no big deal.

“Tommy. You know how much this means to me. Thanks.”

“It’s okay, man. Besides, I didn’t do it alone.” Tommy smiled a small smile referring to Felicity. “Felicity stuck out her neck for you too. Yelling at your father…I bet that’s never happened before.” Tommy laughed nervously.

“She’s crazy.” Oliver commented.

“I just hope this makes up for what happened with McKenna.”

“Tommy, no. Forget about that. That’s in the past. Let’s just learn from this. Let’s promise to never let a girl come between us.”

“Yeah, I can totally do that. And I just want to clarify McKenna and I were never a thing. She jumped me in the laundry room but I told her that if she really wanted to be with me she had to end it with you. And she didn’t so nothing ever happened after that.” Tommy finally got that off his chest.

“Really? That was it?”

“Yeah.” Tommy chuckled.

“Well that was stupid!” 

They hugged it out and laughed at their stupidity.

“Ollie, what about your father?” Tommy asked more seriously now. “You think everything will be okay?”

Oliver took a deep breath and thought hard for a moment. Considering all the factor that led up to this moment, “Honestly, I don’t think so.” 

“Hey, whatever happens I’m here for you, man.”

“Thanks, Tommy.”

A knock came from the door. “Can I come in?”

Oliver opened the door and let his mother in. “Mom! Where’s dad?” Oliver asked looking around checking if his father was present.

“I came alone. May we talk in private, please?” Moira asked as she spotted Tommy making his way down the spiral staircase. “Tommy, how are you?” Moira walked over and kissed Tommy’s cheeks.

“I’m good, Moira. I was just leaving. Bye Moira.” Tommy excused himself and closed the door behind him.

Moira asked Oliver how he was doing and Oliver lied straight to her face, saying that he was perfectly fine. She confronted him asking about the altercation he had with his father earlier that day. Moira explained that Mr. Diggle had called her to talk and they discussed the incident as well as the one involving coffee and an innocent bystander. Oliver claimed that Diggle was exaggerating and blowing things out of proportion. 

The door opened and in walked the devil himself. “Well isn’t this just picture perfect? The whole happy family, all together.” Robert smiled. “Moira you’re late as usual. You should’ve been here earlier.”

“I wanted to see Ollie.” Moira explained herself. Oliver just sat there with his head down trying to block him out.

“Ollie.” Robert said in a mocking tone. “What happened baby went crying to mommy already? Be a man Oliver. Tell your mother what you did. Tell her how you wanted to hit me!”

“You hit me first! And in front of my friends!” Oliver spat back. 

“Because you deserved it! But now things are gonna change. I’m sending you to a place where you’ll learn about respect. I’m sending you to military school in Coast City” Robert reached into his jacket pocket and brought out some papers, he handed them to Moira. “Here’s the transfer papers you just need to sign them, Moira.” 

Oliver looked at his mother, pleading with his eyes for her not to sign those papers. Everything was in Moira’s hands now. 

“No, no. You can’t do this to me.” Oliver said his voice barely above a whisper. “Mom! Do something!”

Robert cut in before Moira could even open her mouth. “What you did was wrong, so you’ll pay for the consequences.”

“Consequences?! You’re the one that hit _me_ and I’m the one who gets punished?!”

“I think Oliver is right, Robert.” Moira spoke softly.

“You shut your mouth, Moira. This is what happens when you get mixed up with the wrong crowd. Like your little friend Felicity.”

“The wrong crowd? It’s your fault I’m in here! I could’ve stayed in Central City and be in the same school as Thea! I didn’t choose this!”

“Well now you won’t have to worry about that in military school, no will you?” 

“I don’t think it’ll be good for the image of the mayor of Starling City if his kids don’t even go to school in his city.” Moira commented.

“My image! So _now_ you care about my image. After all that’s happened today, after the scene he made me do, one of his teachers had to intervene!”

“He won’t say anything. I’ll talk to him.” Oliver jumped back in.

“No! You’ll do as you’re told. You will handle nothing. I’ll take care of everything like I always do.” 

“Dad-”

“Robert, please. You’re both too heated right now. Oliver why don’t you apologize to your father, huh?” Moira tried to calm them down.

“ _Me_? No! _He_ should apologize for what he did to me.” 

“Let’s go, Moira.” Robert instructed. “Now.” 

They left together. 

Oliver sat on his bed hurt and heartbroken.

* * *

 

Sara continued going to Felicity’s appointments with Dr. Turner. Felicity was glad that Sara seemed to be benefiting from it. She’d started to be more open again and started talking more and more, even if it was about school but at least she was talking again. That afternoon, Felicity went down to the secret room to finish it up while Sara went in for another session with Dr. Turner.

Sara had talked about her parents’ divorce and about her mom moving to Central City. Today she hoped to talk about another topic that had been on her mind for quite a while. It made her feel uneasy and out of place. She also felt confused because while she knew she liked boys, she couldn’t explain the way she felt about Felicity. She felt a need to protect her and take care of her, what confused her was the fact that they were friends, but protecting and taking care of someone was a friendly thing to do. It all started when Felicity first invited her to tag along to her PT appointments. Sara hadn’t noticed her infatuation with Felicity until her friend Nyssa pointed it out and started teasing her about it. Ever since then she started feeling awkward about it. So Sara was looking forward to today’s session especially because Dr. Turner said she had a surprise for her.

They were halfway through the session when Sara pointed out that she had yet to receive her surprise. Today’s session was at the parents’ room, but Sara took the same precautions Felicity had instructed her; she sat with her back towards the door. Dr. Turner stepped outside for a second and then said, “Alright, I have your surprise Felicity. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” She answered back.

“Babyyyyyyyyyy!” Donna squealed from the door. 

_OH NO._

Sara knew that voice. That was Felicity’s mother’s voice. Sara got up, turned around and ran into Donna’s arms. “MOM!” She hugged Donna who was shocked and about to say that this wasn’t her daughter. Sara whispered in her ear, “Please play along!”

Dr. Turner spoke up from behind them, “I’m gonna cut this session short so you can spend time with your mother. I’ll see you next week, Felicity. Take care Mrs. Smoak.”

Once Dr. Turner left Sara explained what was going on.

“First things first, we haven’t officially met. I’m Sara Lance.” Sara extended her hand. 

“You’re Laurel’s sister?”

“Yeah. You know Laurel?” So this was Quentin’s second child. She was about the same age as Felicity, and blonde too.

“You’re so pretty.” Donna observed. “Yeah, I briefly met her. More like ran into her a couple of weeks ago. I came by to pick up Felicity and ended up meeting your sister. But we’ve talked on the phone, right?”

Sara nodded her head in confirmation. She explained how Felicity ended up having to meet with Dr. Turner. Donna was very amused by the story. Sara told her about everything that went down including the part where Max used Laurel and Felicity. Donna was very upset at that, she wished to talk to Felicity about it. After all it was her baby’s first heartache.

Donna confessed to Sara that she’d never left Staling City and that she actually was looking at apartments near the school so she could visit her daughter more often. She asked Sara to keep it a secret. Sara wished that her mother would do something like this. Donna was putting her daughter before her career, granted Sara didn’t know that this wasn’t always like this. When Felicity was younger she would spend her time between school and her mom’s dressing room.

* * *

 

**(6:15pm) SHE DEVIL: Laundry room. Tonight. After lights out. Bring your guitar.**

Oliver told Tommy what Robert had in mind. Tommy wondered if there was anything they could do to stall the process. Oliver came up with only one solution. His go to plan: run away. But he didn’t mention running away to Tommy, just to be sure he couldn’t be found. So he waited until Tommy fell asleep to pack a bag. He glanced at his phone, then back at his guitar in the back of his closet. He couldn’t leave Arrow behind. That’s right, he named his guitar Arrow. He took it and his duffel bag and headed down to the laundry room. He could at least tell Felicity what he’d planned. It was highly unlikely anyone would ask her if she knew about Oliver whereabouts.

Felicity wore her Sherlock Holmes pajamas and sat on top of a washer, much like that day when she taught him how to do laundry.

“What’s with the bag? Going somewhere?” She questioned right off the bat.

“Why’d you ask me to come here?”

“I can show you better than I can explain. Lock the door.” She instructed as she jumped off the washer and opened a cabinet. She got half her body in the cabinet when she told him, “Don’t just stand there looking at my ass and get in here.”

“Why would I wanna hide in a cabinet?” He asked as he squeezed himself in there with her beside him. 

“Because.” She moved the back panel of the cabinet to reveal a room “You won’t be hiding in the cabinet. You’d be in this room. Come on.” She grabbed his duffel bag as he clutched his guitar. Felicity walked down the stairs and walked over to where she had set up some couches and some battery operated candles. 

“Whoa!” 

“Slide the panel back in its place.” Oliver turned around and did as Felicity said. He took in the room.

“What’s this?”

“I found it by accident.” She shrugged and took a seat on one of the couches and patted the seat beside her. “Sit down. I wanna talk to you.”

“Okay.” He hesitated before he complied.

“I’m sorry for what happened today.” Felicity whispered after a couple of minutes of awkward silence.

“I’m not.” Oliver surprised both of them by admitting that. 

“But your father hit the frack out of you.” She pointed out.

“I don’t need to be told that.” He replied bitterly. “I mean, aside from that…I got to listen to my music on the radio.” He said and sighed amazed at how awesome it truly was after all. “Plus watching my dad get his ass handed to him by a 15 year old teenage girl was kinda the cherry on top.” 

Felicity stared at the side of his face, “Yeah, that I don’t regret.” He looked at her and they shared a smile. She shook her head when she started looking way in too deep into his beautiful blue eyes. “Which brings us back to why we’re here.” She pointed at the room. “I’ve been fixing up the place and I felt so bad for what happened today. When I do stuff like this, I go with my impulse, my gut. I forget to think and just act, and I forget about the consequences. Like today, I honestly meant no harm, Oliver. So I’m waving a white flag here, calling for a cease fire if you may. I thought we could share this room. It’d give you a place to work on your music or hide and get drunk, whichever you prefer.” Oliver shifted in his seat to look at her. There was something in his eyes, a mix of guilt, regrets and a hint of a smile that dared to grace his lips.  “Personally I don’t recommend the alcohol, it leads to bad stuff. It took me a year to get out of that chair. Ok. Now I’m rambling…so what do you say?”

Oliver was taken aback by Felicity’s honesty. No one has ever been more direct with him than her. He appreciated her honesty and admired her capability of taking the high road. He took in her face and how it looked in the dim lighting. She had big beautiful eyes, blue, very blue with almost gold around the irises. Her blonde locks almost glowed like that chick from that movie his little sister loved. This girl was too good, too pure for Max. Max didn’t deserve her, she was so opinionated, ballsy, bold, smart, caring…and _why is he thinking about her like this? Get to the point Oliver!_ “I understand that you meant no harm. Actually your revenge kinda bit you in the ass, seeing as how I won. You got me on the radio.” He smiled smugly.

“Frack! I never thought about it like that.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Too bad I won’t be here to share this room with you.”

That got her attention again. “What do you mean?”

“Da- Robert is sending me to military school in Coast City.”

“That’s what the bag is for.” Felicity reasoned. “Wait. Are you running away?”

“That’s the plan.” 

“No offense but your plan sucks. Do you honestly think you’ll get out of the city without him knowing? Do you even know where you’re going?”

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. _Fuck!_ You’re right. Is this like a thing?”

“Me always being right? Oh yeah. I’d say I’m right 4 out of 5 times.” She giggled. “You know, you could stay here in school. In this room. That way you could still go to class or just ‘go missing’ during school hours. Nobody will actually think you ran away.”

“Hmm. Make that 5 out of 5.” 

They came up with a plan on how things would work out. Oliver would show up tomorrow for class as usual then he’d go missing during lunch. Felicity would then bring him dinner and snacks. They stayed a couple more hours there in the secret room. Felicity started to get sleepy so Oliver started a conversation back up.

“Felicity…”

“Hmm.” She had laid her head back on the couch cushions and stared at the ceiling.

Oliver turned to face her. “I-I’m. Thank you.”

“What for? It seems to me that all I did was get you into more trouble.”

“True. But that’s not what this is about.” 

She turned her face towards him. _Were they always sitting so close?_ She looked at him expectantly. 

“What you said to my father…Thank you.”

Felicity nodded her head. “We should go to bed.” Oliver raised an eyebrow. “To our rooms! Respectively.”

They turned off the candles and walked back up to the laundry room. Just as they closed the cabinet they heard the lock turn. Whoever was monitoring the halls was being thorough. The door was opening and Oliver panicked. He picked Felicity up and sat her on the same washer she’d sat earlier. He stood between her legs and he buried his face in her neck, his hands roamed over her hips and lower back. They were gonna get busted either way, so why not give them a show. Oliver whispered in her ear, “play along.” Felicity quickly shoved her hands into his hair and pulled him closer. Her long wavy hair was a convenient concealer, for what was actually not happening. They were just pretending. The lights came on.

“I knew it!”

“Frack!” Felicity exclaimed.

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 14

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are big things coming up. There was a part of the conversation between Oliver and Felicity that I had to cut. They talk about Max. So I left that little nugget for the next chapter. Also, next chapter will bring a little more clarity for Sara and her feelings. I'm excited :D  
> Who do you guys think it was in that last scene, who caught Oliver and Felicity? If you guess correctly maybe I'll include that in the next chapter. Mayyyybeee. :P


	15. Moms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver hides, Moira makes a surprise visit, we get some insight into Felicity and Donna’s relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This did not turn out the way I expected. This chapter focuses heavily on Oliver and Felicity. I cut all the action that I planned for this chapter because it was getting too long and I just wanted to post this. I'm not very patient.  
> No one guessed correctly about who walked in on Oliver and Felicity so I'm starting with that scene. Enjoy!

_They turned off the candles and walked back up to the laundry room. Just as they closed the cabinet they heard the lock turn. Whoever was monitoring the halls was being thorough. The door was opening and Oliver panicked. He picked Felicity up and sat her on the same washer she’d sat earlier. He stood between her legs and he buried his face in her neck, his hands roamed over her hips and lower back. They were gonna get busted either way, so why not give them a show. Oliver whispered in her ear, “play along.” Felicity quickly shoved her hands into his hair and pulled him closer. Her long wavy hair was a convenient concealer, for what was actually not happening. They were just pretending. The lights came on._

_“I knew it!”_

_“Frack!” Felicity exclaimed._

Oliver groaned and stopped his wandering hands when he recognized the voice. Felicity pushed Oliver back and put some distance between them. Out of all the people that could’ve caught them together this was the worst.

John Diggle.

There was no way they were getting off the hook easily. The school was very strict on their rules for PDA and such things like two students being locked in together in a room alone were not allowed, as was sex on school grounds. So technically they were breaking the rules by being locked in the laundry room. There was no way to spin this, they were gonna get in trouble. And on top of that Diggle believed that Oliver and Felicity liked each other. They couldn’t use the it’s-not-what-it-looks-like excuse because Diggle wouldn’t accept that.

“What are you guys even doing here? Scratch that. Don’t answer that, I saw what you were doing. Felicity go back to your room.” Diggle said as he stood by the door. Felicity walked past him and he whispered to her, “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.” 

With Felicity gone Diggle still stood by the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Oliver bent down to the floor to pick up his duffel bag. When Digg noticed the bag he closed the door and made Oliver take a seat on top of the washer. 

“What’s with the bag? Going somewhere in the middle of the night?”

“How much trouble am I in?” Oliver asked getting straight to the point. 

Diggle didn’t respond, instead he waited for Oliver to answer his question. Oliver cracked in less than five minutes. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Oliver, I told you. You can trust me. I wanna help but if you don’t tell me I can’t help you. So, what’s wrong?”

Oliver took a deep breath. He didn’t like when people meddled in his life. He was used to it by now, his father did it all the time. He hated how controlled his life was, how calculated every move was. There was nothing about his life that was his own, expect for music. And now Diggle wanted to help him, which to Oliver sounded like an excuse to meddle in his life. “I should be out there, at a club getting drunk with my friends.” 

“Getting drunk is just an escape.” Diggle pointed out.

“But it’s way more fun.” 

John felt sorry for Oliver and truly wanted to help him. “Drinking is stupid, especially since you’re underage, and so is running away. Why don’t you stay and face whatever it is that’s making you run away?”

“Easier said than done. I can’t, Diggle!” Oliver was getting more and more frustrated. “I can’t reason with my father. My mom is practically a painting on the wall.” 

“If making music is something you like, fight for it. Talk with your father.” Diggle advised him.

“No. No. No. There’s no way my father would ever be okay with that. He wouldn’t even listen to me in the first place. If you knew him like I know him you’d understand.” 

Diggle walked over towards Oliver. Oliver sat with his head down cradled between his hands as he ran his fingers roughly through his hair. John put his hand on Oliver’s shoulder, “Hey, at least you should think about it. Stay and fight.” Oliver nodded his head. 

“Now, I should report to Lance that I caught you here with Felicity.” Oliver looked up with huge eyes pleading him not to. “But I’m giving you a get-out-of-jail-for-free card because you don’t need any more on your plate. Get your bag, I’m escorting you back to your room.”

Oliver picked up his bag and walked in silence with Diggle. When they reached Oliver’s room Diggle spoke up, “So, Felicity, huh?” 

Oliver rolled his eyes and glared at Diggle. “Digg. Thanks and good night.”

Diggle giggled at Oliver’s foolishness. He saw sparks between Oliver and Felicity since that day in Ethics when Felicity read a story she wrote. “Teenagers.” He mumbled as he continued his rounds around the school.

* * *

 

The next day things were going as normal as ever. By lunch time Felicity was anxious to see if anyone noticed Oliver’s disappearance. But no one would notice he was missing if was actually still there. She spotted him getting lunch and texted him.

**SHE DEVIL: Abracadabra.**

**Trainwreck: ???**

**SHE DEVIL: It’s time for your magic trick, Houdini.**

**Trainwreck: I know but now I can’t shake Tommy off.**

**SHE DEVIL: Follow my lead.**

Felicity got up from her chair and went over to Oliver’s table. She demanded to talk to him privately. Oliver put on some resistance and after a couple of minutes of witty banter between the two he gave in and stepped outside with Felicity. Oliver started for the laundry room and he noticed Felicity tagging along. He didn’t say anything. They arrived at the laundry room and Felicity stood by the door as lookout while Oliver crawled into the cabinet. He couldn’t help himself, he needed to know. He barely slept the night before just thinking about it, “Can I ask you something?”

Felicity looked away from the door, “What?”

“Why are you helping me?”

Normally she wouldn’t help him, but she felt sorry for him. She’d seen the errors in her ways. She was starting to act like them, the elite. The people that got things done by stepping on other people’s throats. She wasn’t like that, she’d liked to think that she was better than them. “Because I owed you. A-And because I hate acting like the people I despise.” Felicity felt the need to explain because he seemed confused. “Tommy told me what you guys did to Max… Why’d you do that?”

Oliver thought carefully about how to answer that question. He never really liked Max; fact. Max was a cheater; fact. He knew how it felt being cheated on. That one, he thought, that one is the safest answer. “Because, he was selling drugs for one and he tried to drag Tommy down with him and two; he was cheating on you and Laurel. Plus I never really liked him.” He never understood why he chose to tell her the whole truth.

* * *

 Felicity was going back to the dining room when she spotted Moira. This was bad. It hadn’t been more than five minutes and someone was already looking for him. If Moira was there it could only mean one thing: she was taking Oliver with her. But there was only one way to be sure so Felicity approached Moira.

Moira spotted her, “Felicity, darling. Hello.”

“Hi, Mrs. Queen. What brings you here?” _Stupid question! Obviously Oliver._

“I’m here to see Ollie. I have to talk to him.” Moira looked her up and down as if she suspected something. “Do you know where I can find him?”

Yes she did, but she wouldn’t tell her. “Well…umm. That depends, if you’re here to take him to military school then I don’t even know him.”

“That’s not why I’m here.” Moira responded but also didn’t go into details with Felicity.

In exchange Felicity said she knew where to find him. She told Moira she saw him carrying a laundry bag. To Moira it seemed odd, Oliver usually had his uniforms dry cleaned and his casual wear he always brought those with him when he went home for the weekend, there Raisa the housekeeper would do his laundry. On their way to the laundry room Felicity texted Oliver.

**SHE DEVIL: Come on up to the laundry room. I have a surprise for you.**

**Trainwreck: I’m up here already. What’s the surprise?**

Oliver stood alone in the laundry room waiting for some ‘surprise’. When the door opened, he expected Felicity to walk in but that blonde was not Felicity.

“Mom?” Immediately Oliver felt betrayed. Felicity sold him out to his mom and now she was going to make him go with her. “I’m gonna kill her! She totally sold me out.”

“No, Ollie. I’m not- Felicity didn’t sell you out.” Moira smiled, “She wouldn’t tell me where you were unless I guaranteed her that I’m not taking you anywhere.”

Oliver was confused, “So, I’m not going to military school?”

Moira shook her head. “No.”

“Did Dad change his mind?”

Moira saw the hope in Oliver’s eyes and sighed. “No, he didn’t. It was me. I didn’t sign the papers. You’re staying here.”

“Mom!” Oliver smiled proudly at his mother. This was so unlike her, to go against Robert wishes. It was a miracle. She always stood by Robert’s decisions. “Finally!” Oliver hugged his mom. He pulled back, “But what about Dad?”

“Oliver, you let me worry about him. You just focus on school and don’t worry about him.” Moira hugged him tightly as she ran her fingers through his hair in that tender way she always did whenever she’d comfort him.

“I love you.” Oliver whispered against his mother’s neck.

Oliver was never vocal about his feelings so his words definitely took her by surprise. They warmed her heart. “Everything I do, I do it for you and Thea. Don’t ever forget that, I love you too.”   

* * *

That afternoon Felicity was not expecting her mother. What was she still doing in Starling? Wasn’t she the star of her own show in Vegas? This is exactly the thing Felicity wanted to avoid. Her mother tended to overstep boundaries. Donna though loving and caring for her daughter could be self-centered. 

When Felicity’s father moved to London Donna’s career picked up. She started out as a dancer and after a couple successful shows she got a shot at starring in her own. From there on out Felicity was known as the daughter of Donna Smoak. Donna was kind of a celebrity back in Vegas. It affected Felicity and her relationships with other kids. Some moms wouldn’t allow theirs kids to be friends with Felicity because they thought her mother was inappropriate, so Felicity ended up having two friends: Eddie from school and Samantha her mother’s assistant. 

For a while Felicity was very resentful towards her mother. Especially after Noah moved to London because Donna focused a lot on her career and Felicity felt ignored. She considered her father’s offer of moving with him to London, but that represented a lot of change, an adjustment she wasn’t ready to make, so she stayed with Donna. When the accident happened Donna took six months off from work, people thought she’d retired. Noah came back too and stayed for as long as he could before he absolutely had to get back to work. In those months with both of her parents back together in her life Felicity felt overwhelmed. They were overpowering and always wanted to do everything for her and make sure she wasn’t in pain, which she appreciated but after a while it was highly annoying. She was able to connect better with her parents, well Donna really but once she went back to work everything went back to normal, including the distance Felicity kept from her. 

Now more than ever Felicity missed her father, they had so much more in common than she had with Donna. She thought her mom was kind of shallow and sometimes even dumb. Donna cared way too much about her physical appearance, she kinda had to because her career depended on it, it was one of the things Felicity hated. A lot of times Felicity felt that she couldn’t relate to her mother, it made her feel out of place. People expected Felicity to be just like her mother: charming, easygoing, when in reality she couldn’t compare. Felicity wasn’t as beautiful, as well versed as her mother, they practically had nothing in common. Felicity was glad to not have to live under her mother’s shadow because here in Starling almost no one knew who Donna Smoak was. 

That afternoon Felicity got paged to present herself at the parents’ room and she met her mother there. 

“Ugh! MOM! Why are you still here?”

“It’s nice to see you too. How’ve you been?”

Felicity took a seat in the couch alongside her mother. “Awesome. When are you going back to Vegas?”

Donna couldn’t avoid this any longer she had to tell Felicity what was going on. “I decided to take some time off from the show. I miss you a lot, baby.” Donna saw Felicity make that face she did whenever she was annoyed. “I rented a place nearby so I can come and visit you. But that’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh…it just keeps getting better. Donna Smoak the gift that keeps on giving.”

“Felicity! Tone down the sarcasm. I’m here to talk about that boy, Max.”

Felicity was fuming now. She took a defensive stance and crossed her arms. “What do you know about that?”

“I know he hurt you. I wanted to be here for you. It’s the first time you get your heartbroken. I thought you might need your mom.” 

She said that like it was something worth celebrating. You got your heartbroken, YAY YOU! The audacity of that woman! “I’m not heartbroken, mom.”

“Felicity, you forget that I know you better than anyone. You may fool everyone, even yourself with that attitude of yours, but you can’t fool me. I know what that boy did to you and your friend, don’t ask how I know…let’s just call it mother’s intuition.” Donna moved closer into Felicity’s personal space and brought her arm around her shoulder.

“No one’s ever going to love me.”  Felicity glanced down at her hands and whispered her deepest fear.

Donna rubbed her daughter’s arms to comfort her. “Oh. No, baby girl. This is the first time you’ve been hurt and I’m sorry to have to tell you this but he won’t be the last.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m never lucky with this type of thing. Guys just don’t like me.” Felicity still couldn’t look at her mother in the eyes. 

Donna took a hold of Felicity’s chin and tipped her head up to make eye contact. She had to get this through her head and understand. “That’s not true, honey. You are the most perfect girl and if that boy couldn’t see that, that’s his loss. But there will come one boy who’ll see you for who you are and how perfect you are.”

“You say that cause you’re pretty and likeable and charming and-” Felicity looked down again at her hands while ignoring her mom.

“You are pretty. And that doesn’t matter. I too have been hurt.”

“You’re just trying to console me, mom.”

Donna’s approach wasn’t working, it just made Felicity angrier. She knew she had to level the playing field. “I was very much in love once.” That piqued her interest and Felicity turned towards her mother with actual interest in the matter. “It was well fifteen years ago I used to live here in Starling. He was a couple of years older than me and I thought I had found the love of  my life. But I fell in love with the wrong man because he was married.”

“Mom!” Felicity’s eyes widened in amazement, “A married man?”

“I know. I knew it was wrong but I was in love. I thought he was too. He said he’d leave his wife but then she got pregnant. When I found out I felt so stupid so I ran. I went to Vegas and got involved with the first guy that crossed my way. That was your father.” Donna smiled fondly at the memory.

“Oh great! I’m the product of a one-night stand!” Felicity half laughed  half complained.

“Well yes. But the story is not over yet. Yes, I had a one-night stand with your father. We started dating after that. Then you were born. We were happy for a while, in the end it didn’t work out. We loved each other but I think we weren’t in love. But it wasn’t all in vain. You are the greatest gift, the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You gave me the strength to fight for my dreams. You always kept me going.”

Felicity noticed the spark in her mother’s eyes when she talked about that guy she was in love with before when she lived in Starling. She’s never seen that look on her before. Donna had a couple of boyfriends after Noah, but nothing serious. “You never did fall in love after that, did you?” 

Donna thought about it, “No, I guess not. I always ended things before I could get hurt again. But you, baby girl, you are different. You’re stronger than I am and you’ll be fine. This boy just hurt your pride not your capacity to love.”

“Then, why do I feel like this? Why do I feel so useless?”

“It’s the first time, it’ll hurt for now. I wish there was something I could do to kick this kid’s ass.”

Felicity laughed, “I think this would be the first time I wouldn't mind your meddling ways.”

“Eventually you’ll forget it ever happened. You’ll be fine.” Donna hugged Felicity.

“I’m good, mom.” Felicity half smiled into her mom’s hair. “Mom, let go.” Donna’s embrace kept getting tighter and tighter Felicity felt like she wasn’t getting enough oxygen. “MOM, CAN'T BREATHE!” Felicity exclaimed through gritted teeth.

* * *

 

That day during dinner Moira decided she’d had enough. She told Robert she wanted a divorce. Robert made sure to point out that without him she was nothing. She had no skills, the only thing she knew how to do was swipe a credit card, those were Robert’s words. Obviously that wasn’t true but it still made the desired effect, it shook Moira’s confidence. That’s how Robert kept things under control. He’d get in your mind, used your fears against you and made it seem like you had no other option than to follow his plan. Legally speaking Moira was the CEO of  Queen Consolidated but behind closed doors Robert would tell Moira what to do and what to say, like a puppet. 

Moira had had enough. She was done feeling sorry for herself, for feeling less than adequate. So when she brought up the divorce Robert quickly shut down the idea. He threatened to leave her broke and unemployed. He told her he’d keep the kids. They fought and bickered for a while but it didn’t lead anywhere. She wanted a divorce and he wanted her to suffer the consequences. 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 15

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will bring more drama. :D  
> Sara gets some needed clarity, Donna makes a surprise visit Felicity is not happy about it (that will be fun!), Oliver has a heart-to-heart with Robert [that should be interesting] (that asshat; I love/hate him), maybe I'll throw an olicity moment there. OOH! Almost forgot THE LEAGUE!! We'll know more about them.


	16. I still hate you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara gets some insight, Donna makes a surprise visit and Felicity is not happy about it, Oliver has a heart-to-heart with Robert, Oliver and Felicity share a moment. The League targets someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this as a birthday present from me to you, cause it's my birthday today and I'm not excited at all. JOHN DIGGLE is a guardian angel in this fic! <3  
> P.S. We're getting closer to OLICITYYYYYYY <3

“So, how did it go with your mom last week?” Dr. Turner asked Sara.

“About that…I have something I gotta confess.” Dr. Turner looked up from where she was scribbling some notes. Sara explained that Donna was not her mother and that she wasn’t Felicity. She pointed out that everything she’d told her was true expect for her name. “My name is Sara. I just did this as a favor to Felicity, she asked me to cover for her. I kept coming back because I think you can help me.”

“So everything you’ve told me is still true?” Sara nodded her head. “So why are you telling me the truth now?”

“Because I can’t keep lying about everything.”

“What else are you lying about?”

“I don’t know.” She truly didn’t. “I’m confused.”

“What confuses you?”

“Felicity.” 

“Felicity?” 

Sara explained seeing as how difficult it was for Dr. Turner to understand, “Whenever I used to talk about Sara I was actually talking about Felicity.”

“Okay. I see. So this Felicity is your friend right?” Sara nodded her head in affirmation. “And she makes you feel confused, conflicted? About what?”

“Yes she’s my friend. But it’s weird cause it feels like more. I don’t know why I have this need to take care of her and protect her. What’s wrong with me?”

“Sara, nothing is wrong with you.” Dr. Turner smiled. “What about your other friend, Nyssa?”

Sara smiled fondly at the mention of her best friend, “What about her?”

“How do you feel about her? Do you feel about her the same way as you do for Felicity?”

Sara thought about it. And no she did not feel the same way towards Nyssa like she did for Felicity. “Nyssa is my best friend. We met last year, bonded over disapproving fathers and we’ve been best friends ever since. But it’s different with Nyssa, she doesn’t make me feel confused like Felicity does. With Nyssa it's easy, but with Felicity I’m always double guessing over thinking things… And why are you smiling?!”

“Sara, I want you to think, to analyze what you’ve just told me. I already know what’s going on with you but I can’t tell you. You have to figure it out for yourself, however I’ll be here to help you.” 

“Doc, do you think I-I- I’m gay?” Sara whispered.

“Sara. First, there’s nothing wrong with being gay. Second, no, I don’t think you’re gay. For all I know you could be gay, or straight, or bisexual, or confused. Third, what I think is that you’re discovering yourself and there’s no shame in that. It’s normal to be confused, besides these are your formative years and you’re still young. You’ll find yourself.” 

Sara glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that the session was about to be over. She was feeling more confused but also better, lighter somehow. She was glad to have Dr. T’s help and guidance through this. “So, next week?” Sara asked.

“Yes. Next week. See you Sara.”

* * *

Mr. Diggle was explaining to his class that he was trying to bring together the kids and the parents. He argued that even though the kids were in boarding school that didn’t mean that their parents didn’t care about them. He wanted to prove to them that their parents cared enough to go to school and talk to them. Diggle came up with a special project. Each week one parent would come and do a guest lecture on a topic of their choosing. Today was the first day.

“Today’s lecture is about sex ed. So let’s give a warm welcome to Felicity’s mom. Donna, come on in.” Diggle opened the door for her to walk in.

**OH.**

**HELL.**

**NO.**

Felicity was already mortified at the mention of her mother’s presence. But then Donna walked in. Did she really have to wear that dress? It was way too short for a mom and had too much cleavage for it to be appropriate for school. The boys in her class started whooping and whistling and making cat calls.

“Hi. Hello guys.” Donna smiled and waved at the class.

“What are you doing here?” She asked angrily. “We’re a little bit too old to get sex ed. We’ve already been briefed in health class.” 

Donna hesitated before answering, looking back at Diggle for support. He nodded his head and encouraged her to go on. “Well, I’m here because I thought you and your classmates could use some advice on sex. I mean it’s a complicated subject to explain. I’m sure it was covered in health class but it’s different coming from a parent instead of a science book. I figured it’d be less confusing.”

“The only thing that confuses me is her! Look at that rack!” Tommy whispered to Oliver. 

Felicity jumped from her chair and practically ran to the front of the classroom where Donna stood. “Mom they’re laughing at you. Get out of here!”

“Come on, honey. Don't be silly. Sit down we’re about to begin.”

“I’m not gonna be a part of this!” Felicity huffed and made her way to the door where Diggle stood by.

“Well, then you’re excused from class today Felicity.” Diggle said as he opened the door for her.

“Even if I wasn’t I’d still walk out…” she stared down Digg. “How weird, how my mom was the first to come and talk to the class.” Diggle stood there speechless as Felicity walked away.

That afternoon Diggle found Felicity hiding out in the laundry room. She was actually going to the secret room but Diggle came in before she could even open the cabinet. She was mumbling about how she wanted her mom to go back to Vegas and never come back to the school. “Do you wanna explain that offhanded comment you made earlier?” Diggle got the sense that Felicity was mad at him.

A fuming Felicity paced in front of Diggle, “I’ll be direct. I know why my mom was the first to come in and lecture us.”

Digg took a seat on top of a washer, “And why is that?”

“Because you got the hots for her!” Digg’s eyebrows jumped up to his hairline, she shocked him. She pulled back on her attitude, after all Digg is still her teacher. “Sorry, too direct. Sorry.”

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just say that. Was that it? Is that why you walked out in the middle of class?”

“Yes.” Felicity jumped on top of a washer and sat alongside Diggle with her arms crossed over her chest.

Diggle chuckled, “You and your mom are very much alike. You both think the world revolves around you.”

Felicity smiled smugly at her teacher, “Yes, that’s because it does.”

“Well, look, your mom is very attractive and all that but she’s not my type.” Digg saw he left Felicity speechless. “Ha! Now you’ve got no excuse to be mad at me.” 

Felicity eyed him curiously, “You’re really not interested in my mom?”

“No.”

Felicity opened and closed her mouth a few times before asking, “You’re not- I mean-“

Diggle could see her struggling with the question so he supplied, “What gay?”

“Yeah, gay.”

“No, no I don’t think so.” He smiled. “Why do you worry so much about your mom?”

“Because… it’s not easy having a mom like her. Everyone expects me to be look like her, and act like her, and like the same things she does. I always have to make sure she looks like the diva she is.”

“Let her worry about her beauty, you worry about yours.” Digg jumped down from the washer and stood in front of her.

“Yeah, my toad like beauty.” She muttered under her breath with her head down.

“Girl, are all your mirrors broken or something?” Felicity looked up shyly at Digg before he continued, “You ought to be more confident.”

Felicity watched Digg’s retreating form while thinking that he’s not so bad. He’s a pretty cool teacher to have.

* * *

Meanwhile that afternoon Oliver received an unexpected visitor. His father. Apparently he was there to talk to him. Oliver could see where this was going. Over the weekend Moira told Oliver that she had talked to Robert about divorce. She warned Oliver that his father would be mad and would be looking for ways to make them miserable. Even if he gave in and they got a divorce, Robert warned Moira that he could and would if it came down to it, leave her broke and childless. Moira was scared about what Robert would do, after all she knew what he was capable of. That’s why Moira told Oliver that if he was asked to pick sides, she wouldn’t blame him if he stood by with his father. In fact she asked him to, Oliver refused saying that he wouldn’t leave her alone in this situation.

 

> _“You’re not alone, Mom. And I’ve never been prouder of you. It’s the first time you’ve ever fought this hard.”_
> 
> _“I just couldn’t stand by after what he did to you. And I won’t stand for it any longer. I love you, son. I will fight for you and your sister but if I have to leave you with him, I will.”_
> 
> _“Mom! Don’t you care about me, us?!”_
> 
> _“Of course I do. But I know your father and if I take you with me he’ll make sure that you won’t get into college. He’d leave us with no money.”_
> 
> _“Mom. There’s gotta be something we can do.”_
> 
> _“I’ll try, Ollie. But whatever happens please know that I love you and your sister with all my heart.”_

Oliver was shook, he could not believe that his mother would leave him behind like that. She claimed that it was for his well being and he understood. He wasn’t happy about it but he understood. Now his father was here to ‘talk’ to him. They sat in the seating area on the second floor of Oliver’s room.

“I thought it was just a phase, I didn’t actually think she’d go through with it.” Robert said referring to Moira and the divorce.

“Wait, Mom told me you that you didn’t go home the other day.”

“That’s right I didn’t. I wanted to scare her.”

Oliver chuckled, “Ha ha, a lot of good it did.”

“Oliver! I’m being serious here. Now is not the time for these games, not while I’m in the middle of my campaign.”

“Oh. Now I see what this is about. That’s why you won’t divorce her.”

“No, no.” Robert denied, “This is about you. Oliver, I need you to tell your mother that if I give her the divorce you’ll side with me.”

Oliver crossed his arms. “And if I don’t?”

“‘If you don’t?’ Oliver, what are you trying to tell me? You mean that if it actually happens you’ll choose her over me?”

He could not believe his father.

“Answer me Oliver! ANSWER DAMN IT! Would you go with her?! Can’t you see that this could destroy my political career?”

“WOULD YOU STOP THINKING ABOUT YOUR CAREER?! Think about your family, for the first time in your life. Look at us! WE’RE NOT A FAMILY ANYMORE!” Oliver finally exploded.

“Stop overreacting. We are a family like any other. We have our ups and downs. And all I’ve done for this family- I worked all my life to give you and your sister the things you have. You’ve never missed out on anything, you have never known-“

“No! don’t lie! All your life you’ve been invested in your career and family be dammed. You’ve never cared about us.” Robert was about to protest but Oliver cut him off, “And you know what, I did miss out, I missed out on having a father. A real loving father.” Oliver’s eyes watered at the realization. That _this_ is true. His father is a selfish man who’s never shown love nor compassion to his son; always been too tough, too controlling. 

Oliver’s words seemed to break through to his father. Robert leaned over and grasped Oliver’s face between his hands, “No, Oliver. Please don’t say that, son. Come on, son. You’re a man now. Let’s talk about this like adults.”

“Okay…” Oliver pushed his father’s hands down, “You want me to take this like a man, like an adult. Then let me make up my own mind. I don’t need you pitching anything to me.”

“What does that mean?”

“That if you and mom get a divorce I am staying with her.”  

* * *

That day after dinner Oliver was quiet. Too quiet.

He needed to play his guitar. But his guitar was in the secret room below the laundry room. Oliver waited until Tommy went to shower to leave the room. 

Oliver crawled into the secret room without making any noise. He was greeted by the sight of Felicity in her PJs. She sat on one of the couches with her tablet and his guitar. _How dare she touch his guitar?!_ It bothered him but he was also curious because he never pegged Felicity for the music type.

But there she was with his acoustic guitar. Capo on the 3rd fret and strumming these chords: C major, C major 7, A major, G major. 

Oliver closed back up the back panel of the cabinet and sat at the top of the stairs and listened to Felicity attempt to play Fix You by Coldplay.

F, C, G.

She started singing once she reached the chorus.

_Lights will guide you home_

_And ignite your bones_

_And I will try to fix you_

Oliver was pleasantly surprised by her sweet voice. It was soft and rough around the edges. It had a particular beauty to it, held back but confident enough to sing out loud. It made him smile. 

Felicity was finishing the song when Oliver decided to make his presence known. He walked down the stairs in silence and stood behind her and the couch. He harmonized the last verse of the song with her, maybe he did that too quietly for her to hear because she didn’t react until he opened his mouth and spoke a little louder.

“I didn’t know you could play guitar.” She turned around shocked and scared shitless. 

“Fucking shit! Dude! You scared the crap out of me!” Felicity screeched.

“Sorry about that.” Oliver rounded the couch and sat beside her. “So, how long have you played the guitar?”

“Umm…ten minutes?" She laughed and clarified, "I don’t play the guitar. I just learned that from YouTube.” 

“Oh.”

“So what are you doing here?” Felicity asked as she plucked on the strings of the guitar.

Oliver looked down at her hands and smiled, “I wanted to play the guitar.”

“Oh!” Felicity handed it back to him, “Here you go.”

Oliver took the guitar in his hands and moved the capo to the second fret and started strumming Yellow. 

“So…today in Ethics, that was your mom?” Oliver asked.

“Yep. She’s a real gift isn’t she?” Oliver stayed silent. It didn’t escape her attention that Oliver was the only guy that didn’t whoop or cat called her mother. 

“You’re nothing like her…well except for the bold and fearless attitude, but other than that…I never would’ve guessed you’re related.” Oliver pointed out.

Felicity watched as Oliver continued to play his guitar, mesmerized by how smoothly his fingers moved along the neck and plucked at the strings. “Is that good or bad?”

“Good. You’re _you_. You are your own person.” That meant a lot to Oliver, it was something he wasn’t allowed. He envied her. “Unlike me. I don’t have that luxury.”

“What do you mean?”

By now Oliver had stopped playing the guitar, “I’m not myself out there. Out there I am whatever my parents need me to be. I’m decoration. But down here, with you, with my guitar I feel like myself.”

“About that, how’s it going with them?”

“They might be getting a divorce.” Oliver said with a smile.

“You don’t seem that broken up about it.” Felicity observed.

“I don’t wanna talk about it. What about your parents?” 

“What about them?”

“Well you’ve met both my parents and today I met your mother, by the way what is it that she does for a living? She never mentioned it. What about you dad?”

“Well, my mom is an artist of sorts. She started out as a dancer but now she does her own shows. She basically sings and dance while wearing skimpy sequined outfits. My dad works for a computer software company and lives in London.”

“London?! How does that work?”

“Well my mom has had custody ever since the divorce, so I’ve lived here all my life but I go to London for the holidays.”

“Oh.” 

For a while Felicity listened to Oliver play his guitar while she played with her tablet. “Hey, do you know any Imagine Dragons songs?” she asked him.

“Almost all of them.”

“Could you teach me how to play?”

“Sure, some other time though I’m gonna go to bed now.”

“Okay…I guess I should go too.” 

They were walking through the hallways when Felicity asked Oliver what happened with the military school thing. He told her that he wasn’t going. She responded with “Good.”

“Good?”

“Well, yeah. Who else am I going to hate if you’re gone?”

  

* * *

The next morning Felicity was getting her books from her locker when a black envelope with a single white handprint fell out. 

 ** _We don’t like out of towners so we advise you to go home unharmed while you can._**  

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 16

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what Tommy is doing. We'll meet Nyssa. Oliver gets a gift from his father. We'll see The League in action. Let me know what you think in the comments. :D


	17. Chosen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has a special assignment, Oliver gets a gift, Felicity learns more of The League and what it is they do. We finally learn what ever happened with Max!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for understanding and your support. This chapter I'm particularly proud of. <3  
> Things have been progressing kind of slowly but I'll speed things up in the next chapter. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.  
> **There's a minor panick attack in this chapter**  
> (the warning is merely a courtesy, I didn't go into much detail.)

[Art for this fic <3](http://sparklefics.tumblr.com/post/150748505230/she-is-love-art-for-my-fic-with-some-olicity)

* * *

 

_The next morning Felicity was getting her books from her locker when a black envelope with a single white handprint fell out._

**_We don’t like out of towners so we advise you to go home unharmed while you can._ **

* * *

 

Felicity read and re-read the anonymous handwritten letter. Pretty ballsy for someone who wanted to be anonymous. Still Felicity had no way to track this. She'd have to go about this another way. 

On her way to class she bumped into Ray, dropping all her books. Papers flew out everywhere including the anonymous note. Ray picked that one up and immediately started sweating and hyperventilating.

“Ray! Are you okay?” Ray didn't respond he just looked at the floor and started breathing more raggedly. “Ray breathe!” Felicity instructed. Still crouched on the ground she grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. “Look at me, Ray! Breathe with me!” In. Out. In. Out. She managed to calmed him down. Ray looked like he'd seen a ghost, or worse. He was pale and he seemed off, like his mind was flying away. 

“Are you okay?” Felicity asked. “We should get you to the infirmary.”

“No!” Ray finally answered. “I'm okay now. Where did you get this?” Ray waved the note in the air. 

“I found it in my locker. Are you sure you're okay cause you look like hell, no offense.”

“I'm okay. Really. Panic attacks have been a normal occurrence since my sophomore year here.”  

“Did that,” Felicity pointed at the note, “trigger your attack?” Ray nodded his head in affirmation. “Why?”

Ray glanced down at his hands, observing every detail of the note. He knew this note. It was the beginning of hell. He too had received a note like this one. Actually he'd received a lot of them in the last two years. Felicity didn't seem the least bit scared. Ray figured that she'd never heard stories about The League. And now she'd been chosen. 

“You have no idea what this is do you?”

Felicity shook her head. “This is from The League. You've been chosen.”

“Chosen? For what?”

Ray looked around and over his shoulder. They were late for class but still, they shouldn't be talking about this out in the open where anyone could overhear. 

“Let's get to class. We'll talk after.”

* * *

 

_**Thomas Merlyn report to the principal's office immediately.** _

Tommy wondered what the hell did he do to get himself called up to the principal's office. Tommy knocked on the door before walking in. Lance was in the middle of a phone call and waved him in as he wrapped up the conversation. 

“Ah, Mr. Merlyn please take a seat.” Lance instructed signaling to the chairs across his desk.

Tommy sat down, “Whatever it is, I didn't do it, sir.”

Lance laughed at Tommy's paranoia. “Thomas, can I call you Tom?” Lance leaned over his desk. 

Eww. Tom wasn't any better than Thomas. 

"Sure."

Lance asked Tommy about his daughter Laurel. He wanted to know how she was doing. He’d been worried since the Max incident. He didn’t even know his daughter was dating, and dating that asshole no less. Quentin needed to protect his daughter but he couldn’t do so if she didn’t trust him enough to tell him she’d been dating Max. And this is where Tommy could be useful.

“I have a special assignment for you, Tom.”

“Me? Is this about that ‘F’ I got in history? Cause I swear I’ll bring my grades up.”

Lance chuckled, “No.” He didn’t know how else to say it other than just saying it and being honest. “I need you to spy on Laurel.”

Was this man serious? Did Tommy hear that correctly? He had to be wrong cause it sounded like Mr. Lance just asked Tommy Merlyn to spy on his daughter. 

Tommy cleared his throat and sat up straighter, “Excuse me, sir?” 

Lance explained that he intended for Tommy to follow Laurel around, check in on her, gather some intel and then report back to him. Seeing as how Tommy had known that Laurel used to go out with Max he was perfect for the job, plus they were together in all of their classes.

Tommy couldn’t say no to the principal especially since he was the one asking for a favor. Tommy accepted knowing that one day he’d come back to collect a favor from Lance, after all he’d be in debt to Tommy. It was a win-win situation.

Before Tommy left the office there was one thing he needed to know. “Mr. Lance, when is Max’s family going to come by and pick up his stuff? I ask because we, Oliver and I, packed up his belongings but no one’s come by to get them.”

“Oh. That won’t be necessary. Max will need his things when he comes back. He’s currently taking some sick days. But don’t worry we’ve set him up with one of our substitute teachers to keep him up to date on all subjects so that when he comes back he’ll be up to speed.”

Sick days? The kid was caught selling drugs in school! How the hell did he pull that off? Tommy could’ve sworn that he’d be kicked out of school. Whatever Max did to get off with some sick days it must’ve cost him a lot of money.

“Not that I want to tell you how to do your job, but I thought Max would get thrown out of school.” Tommy commented.

“Believe me I wanted to, but Mr. Diggle thought I was a bit biased on the decision. He went over me to the board and pleaded that instead of punishing Max we’d help him get better.” Lance cleared his throat before continuing. “I’m not supposed to tell you this,” Lance clarified, “so if you tell anyone, and I mean anyone including your roomie there’ll be serious consequences.” Lance warned. 

“I won’t tell anyone, sir.” Tommy swore with a hand over his heart.

“Max is doing a rehabilitation program. Once he’s completed it he’ll come back to school.”

“Oh, wow. That’s good for him, I guess.”

It seemed to Tommy that John Diggle was a man sent straight down from heaven to help kids in this school. Diggle was constantly advocating for the benefits of others. He’d helped Oliver, Max and the whole senior class when they filed a complaint to the school board about their math teacher Mrs. White. She was the oldest teacher at EWS and her teaching methods were archaic, she taught the way she wanted to and when the kids complained and asked her to slow down or to explain the material again she’d say ‘It’s not my fault if you can’t keep up.’ No one had ever complained about Mrs. White but Diggle encouraged them to do it for their own good.

* * *

 

That day after school Felicity met up with Ray in the study hall, it was the only place he felt comfortable talking about The League. He was paranoid but he had his reasons. Ray told Felicity who that note she’d received was from and what it meant to be chosen. 

He warned her that The League would go after her and they wouldn’t stop until they got what they wanted. 

“How do I stop them?” Felicity asked.

If only she knew how impossible that really was.

“There’s no stopping them, Felicity.”

“They stopped coming after you, right? How come? What did you do to make them stop?”

“Yes, they stopped coming after me probably because I had a nervous breakdown in the middle of class. Look at me! They broke me. They got what they wanted, I’m on all sorts of anti-anxiety meds.”

Even though it was hard for him, Ray told Felicity what The League did to him. It started with the note and when he didn’t follow through with their requests they started messing with him. The first thing they did was steal his clothes while he showered after P.E. That day Ray ran across school wearing only a sock. Principal Lance thought that he’d gone streaking through school so of course he got in trouble. After that he received more letters asking him to leave school, he ignored them. The League thought they were being defied by this insipid nerd so they got into his locker and lit it on fire. After that, they stole all his clothes and he had to buy  a whole new wardrobe, then The League started to get physical, which for them was extreme. They were supposed to operate in the shadows that’s why they were called The League of Shadows. No one knew who they were because, Ray had seen this with his own eyes, they wore black hoodies with ski masks and black jeans and sneakers.

One day Ray went to do his laundry and he was jumped by six shadows. They beat him up and hung him upside down, held up by the ankles. They held him like that until he blacked out. Then he surrendered and said he’d leave school. 

He didn’t.

Ray was pretty sure they’d also tried to run him over, on the one day Ray decided to go home and visit his parents, a car got too close and almost ran him over while he crossed a street. So Ray had plenty of reasons to be paranoid over The League.

Those were reason enough for Felicity. She has to figure out how to stop The League. Ray mentioned that he went to principal Lance and some other teachers but they all pushed it aside claiming that he was being pranked. After his breakdown they didn’t believe him at all. There had to be another way to stop The League, if anyone could bring them down it was her.

* * *

 

Robert had stopped by the school to talk to Oliver into siding with him in the divorce. Oliver said he was staying out of it, he was done with being put in the middle, if his parents had issues they should work them out themselves. Robert was pulling out all the stops to sway Oliver. He told Oliver that he didn’t have to keep going to the Youth Center in The Glades, where he’d been doing his court ordered community service. Oliver had been going there once a week, he couldn’t go more often because of school, at the rate he was going it would probably take him the whole school year to get it done. But that’s not all that Robert did, when he was leaving the parents’ room he told Oliver to check out the school parking lot, he’d left him a little something there.

Oliver didn’t go there immediately. He only went there because Tommy practically dragged him out.

There in the school parking lot awaited Oliver a matte black Ducati Diavel Carbon with a giant red bow.

“Dude! This is awesome!” Tommy spoke excitedly as he circled the bike.

This was the typical Robert Queen parenting style. A problem pops up and he throws money at it.

“Let’s take it for a spin!” Tommy begged as he grabbed the helmet.

“No! He thinks I’m dumb enough to fall for this. He’s trying to bribe me and I won’t do what he wants.” Oliver explained to Tommy the reason behind this gift.

“Hey, he can try to bribe you with gifts but the decision is ultimately yours.” Tommy pointed out. “You might as well enjoy the gifts. You’re still the winner here.” 

True. Tommy had a point. Oliver could benefit from his parents’ feud. 

* * *

 

Tommy was serious about spying on Laurel. It would totally pay off in the future. He could get to know her better and Lance would still owe him a favor.

So here he was on a Friday night at school strolling around looking for Laurel, when normally he’d go home.

Home. To an empty mansion. Tommy couldn’t remember when was the last time he’d seen his father but he could remember the last conversation they had. It was when Oliver was at the hospital. Malcolm called to check on him. _He called._ Tommy was surprised that his father didn’t show up. It could’ve been him who was in the hospital, a fact that he pointed out to his father. Malcolm said that the insurance people had called as well as the cops and when he learned that it wasn’t Tommy behind the wheel he stayed put in China. Malcolm knew it was Oliver the one who was in the hospital and yet he didn’t even ask about how he was doing. 

Oliver was like a brother to Tommy and Malcolm did what he had to; he took care of the paperwork and made sure that Oliver didn’t face any charges for driving Tommy’s ‘stolen’ car. Malcolm was very clear that he was disappointed in Tommy and his poor choices in friends and in life. As a punishment he took away Tommy’s allowance leaving him without any money, yet another reason for Tommy to stay in school on a Friday night. 

After hitting the school’s gym, Tommy wandered around until he found Laurel in the indoor pool. She sat on the edge by the shallow end with her long legs dipped in the water. She had her hair down, those luscious chocolatey brown locks falling past her shoulders, she wore cut off jean shorts and a black tank top, her black converse sat by her side. She was simple and kind of plain but Tommy was always blown away. She made simple look so beautiful. Even without makeup Laurel managed to look like a model.

Tommy needed a second to compose himself before approaching her. Things had been tense with her since she’d thrown her drink on his head at that disastrous party. It’s not like they were friends but he owed her at least an apology, maybe he’d lead the conversation with that.   

Tommy tapped on her shoulder and she jumped up, startled, she must’ve not heard him move towards her. She pulled on her headphones, that’s why she didn’t hear him come up to her.

“Mind if I sit?” He asked tentatively.

She eyed him up and down and responded, “Sure but, fair warning, if you piss me off again I’ll drown you in the pool.”

Tommy chuckled and sat down to her right side. He took off his sneakers and socks and dipped his legs in the water. Laurel eyed him carefully.

“Why are you here, Merlyn?”

“Well, I believe it’s because my mom and dad-“ She slapped his arm and asked him to get serious. “I owe you an apology for all the things I said to you at that terrible party I threw. You didn’t deserve that, you were right to throw your drink at me.”

Tommy Merlyn apologizing. Someone get a camera and record this! What a rare sighting. It took her by surprise, out of all the things that could come out of Tommy Merlyn’s mouth an apology is the last thing she expected.

“I would apologize for that but I know I was right, so…Apology accepted.” She smiled politely. 

“So what are you doing here all by yourself?”

Laurel looked down at her hands and released a deep sigh, “I wanted to be alone.”

Tommy made a move to get up but Laurel’s hand on his arm stopped him. He look at her questioningly.

“I said _wanted_. Past tense.”

They sat in silence for what it felt like hours but really, it had only been a minute and a half, Laurel spoke up her voice barely above a whisper, “I miss my mom.” She didn’t think he’d heard her, but then he placed his left hand on her right shoulder. 

Tommy knew, he understood Laurel’s predicament. He knew how it felt missing a mom. Missing the warmth, care and comfort only a mother could provide. He was hit with a longing for his mother’s hugs, hugs he’d get after a hard day or after having his heartbroken, hugs he knows he’ll never get. He could never get the same feeling from hugging his father, maybe Laurel was like him, unable to trust her father with her heart. Maybe that’s why she didn’t tell him about Max, probably why she was missing her mother. She most likely wanted her mother’s love and comfort. Hugs too.

He wished he could get one more hug from his mother. One more chance to tell her how much he loves her and to smell her perfume. Chanel No. 5. She wore the same perfume as Moira Queen. The fist time Tommy noticed that was when he turned 10 and Moira hugged him. He closed his eyes and it felt just like when he used to hug his mom. He could almost hear her voice telling him how much she loved him. Tommy cried on Moira’s shoulder and told her she smelled like his mom did. 

“I know what that’s like.” Tommy said as he stared blankly ahead lost in the memories of his tenth birthday. He never ever talks about his mother. This is as close he’s come to talking about her in years.

With those five words Tommy managed to give Laurel some perspective. Things could be worse, she thought. Of course Tommy knows how it feels, his mom is dead, things could be that bad, and they are for him. Suddenly she felt like the one that needed comfort was Tommy and not her. 

Laurel took his hand from her shoulder and held it between her own. Tommy still stared at the water and Laurel scooted closer and leaned her head against his shoulder as she held his hand. They sat like that in a comfortable silence for a while.

“How come you don’t act like this around everyone?” Laurel broke the silence.

“How do you mean?”

“Well, right now you’re behaving like a normal human being-”

“Hey! I am a normal human being!” He interjected.

“No, I meant like, nice and not like a douche.”

“I don’t know.” He did know but he wouldn’t tell her it was only like that with her. Because he genuinely wanted to be vulnerable around her. But he wasn’t going to tell her that so he bottled it up and leaned his head to rest against hers.

* * *

 

That Friday night Felicity sat on the couch in the secret room, turning over and looking more closely in detail at the note from The League as she listened to Oliver play Imagine Dragons’ songs. She was captivated by the familiarity of the white handprint. She was sure she’d seen that somewhere else before.

Felicity spotted the black box she’d found when she was cleaning this room. The room suddenly made sense. Who else would need a secret room in the school?

The League.

“HOLY FRACK!”

“What?” Oliver stopped playing the guitar. 

“See this?” Felicity handed him the note.

_Oh no. Did Felicity get targeted by The League?_ , Oliver thought. “Is this yours?” Oliver turned over the note and spotted the white handprint. _Yep, definitely she was being targeted by The League._

“Yes.” Felicity confirmed. She got up from the couch and went looking for that black box she’d found. “Look! I found this when I was cleaning out this place. I think they were here. Maybe this room was like their headquarters or something like that, maybe a meeting place.”

“What’s in the box?”

“A bunch of blank papers. But, who cares, it was theirs. I’m going to stop them.” She declared.

“Good luck with that.”

“What? You don’t think I can do it?” Felicity crossed her arms.

“Felicity in less than a month you managed to convince the school board to change the uniforms. I have no doubts that you can do this.”

“Then what is it?” She asked scowling. 

“These guys don’t mess around. They’ve been here since…forever. They truly are like shadows, faceless, unknown, anonymous. There is no way to track them let alone stop them.”

“Watch and learn, Trainwreck. I’ll stop The League before we graduate.” 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 17

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have cried while writting that bit about Tommy and his mom. D':  
> Ok now, Next chapter will have The League causing all sorts of trouble for Felicity. We'll see how Nyssa fits in into this plot (wink wink). In the story we're getting close to halloween so you'll see a costume party for sure :) After that halloween party we'll be getting into Oliver and Felicity's relationship and their meddling parents. Expect that chapter to be even longer.


	18. Boo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League. Enough said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't think it would take me this long to write this. It is quite long...but here it is enjoy.

Here's a [link ](https://open.spotify.com/user/12159155916/playlist/7bsXCrQvZxuD7ZT1qfA6nw)to a playlist I made. Music is very important to this story. Enjoy. 

* * *

 “Ms. Smoak, I’m sure you’re more than aware of the fact that you’re still in your pajamas. And though they’re cute and I too love me some Sherlock Holmes, you are breaking the dress code. I’ll let you go and get changed. You have five minutes.” Ms. Michaels said. It wasn’t Friday, so there was no reason for Felicity to be wearing her pjs to class.

Felicity stayed put in her seat. There was a reason she showed up to class dressed like this.

“If I go and change I’ll break more than the dress code.” Felicity mumbled to herself.

Ms. Michaels turned around to face her, “Excuse me, miss. What was that? I thought I told you to go change. I don’t want to have to write you up.” She warned.

Felicity didn’t say anything more, just crossed her arms over her chest and didn’t make any effort to move. Ms. Michaels and Felicity stared each other down, the class forgotten until Ms. Michaels broke the silence. “That’s it! Felicity, report to the principal’s office.”

Felicity got up from her desk and went to Lance’s office.

His secretary wasn’t there so Felicity knocked on the door. A muffled ‘come in’ granted her permission.

Quentin was surprised and curious as to why Felicity was there. 

“Everything okay, Felicity? Class already started, why are you still wearing your pajamas? You sick or something?” 

Felicity took a seat and explained that she was perfectly fine. She was sent there by the new history teacher, Ms. Michaels, who claimed that Felicity was breaking the dress code. Lance asked her why did she break it in the first place.

“I didn’t have anything else to wear. The League raided my closet and took everything.” 

Lance rolled his eyes and grumbled ‘here we go again’. “The League is nothing but a myth the brats of this school made up to scare the new kids, I assure you that they are not real.”

“Then explain to me why my closet is empty right now!” She demanded.

Quentin’s face turned sour at her tone and attitude, something he didn’t appreciate; rebellion. He liked his ducks lined up in a row. “Ms. Smoak, someone must be pranking you. If your closet is empty I can request we do a search on the other students’ lockers and rooms.” Lance could see that she was unimpressed. “tell you what, for the time being you can borrow an uniform from Laurel or Sara and you can go back to class. Today after school we’ll do the search and you can come along to see if we can locate your belongings, okay?”

“Fine.”

Felicity went back to her room.

That morning she had been the last one to wake up so she told Sara and Laurel to go ahead without her, she’d meet them for breakfast. She didn’t want to make her friends late. When she opened her closet to get her uniform she freaked out. It was completely empty. All of her clothes were gone. All of her uniforms- including the new one she had to buy after the coffee incident with Oliver-, all her jeans, t-shirts, dresses and pjs were gone. The only thing she found was a black card with a white handprint, it read:

_**We asked peacefully…** _

It angered her. Those cowards! She decided to make a scene about it. She skipped breakfast and went straight to class. History with Ms. Michaels was up first, it used to be Ethics but when Dinah left for Central City the schedule changed.

And now she found herself back in her room trying to squeeze her butt into Sara’s jeans. It wasn’t happening. She tried on a skirt but it wouldn’t go up past her thighs. Maybe Laurel’s were a better fit. Laurel’s skirt went all the way up and she managed to close the button but it was way too tight. Her legs could barely move and if she tried to sit it would probably rip. So she tried on some jeans and thank god those fit, they were tight around her ass and thighs but at least she could move and sit without ripping them open. 

With the pants sorted she tried on Laurel’s shirt, not even attempted to wear Sara’s, it fit. If you could overlook the fact that the sleeves went well past her hands and it ended mid-thigh. Felicity put on a blazer and rolled back up the excesses of the shirt sleeves, she left the last two buttons undone and tied a cute knot with the remaining fabric. Before heading back to class Felicity grabbed the card from The League and pocketed it. 

The rest of the day went as normal as ever. During lunch Felicity sat down with Sara, Nyssa and Laurel. Sara was the first to comment on the weirdness and unfitness of her uniform.

“What happened to your uniform? Left it too long in the dryer?” Sara asked teasingly as Felicity took a seat across from her.

Felicity glared at her friend before answering, “The dryer shrinks clothes, it doesn’t make them bigger, genius.” She reached into her pocket and showed the girls the card. That shut them up. “The league. They took my clothes.”

Sara was speechless, Nyssa was stunned but Laurel was curious, “Is that why you never came down for breakfast this morning?”

 “Yeah. And btw, I hope you don’t mind but your father kinda made me wear your clothes.”

“Of course I don’t mind, I would’ve offered if I’d known. Why didn’t you say anything?” Laurel asked still a bit confused about her father’s involvement in the matter.

“I wanted to make sure I made a scene. I showed up to class in my pjs.” Sara burst out laughing and Felicity stared her down but continued, “Ms. Michaels sent me to the principal’s office and your father told me I could borrow your uniforms.” 

Felicity told the girls that lance promised to search every room and locker in the school. The rest of the lunch was spent making small talk and making up theories about how The League operated. So far all Felicity had was a box of blank papers and a secret room. She still has to share that information with the girls but she refrains from doing so for the time being. That room is her safe place, hers and Oliver’s. 

* * *

 

Oliver was walking right behind a blonde with a high ponytail and a tight ass that looked like it would rip those jeans at the seams. When the blonde entered to the same classroom that he was headed towards he realized that the blonde was in fact Felicity. Ugh! Again with the checking out of her ass, get it together, Oliver! They took their seats, ready for the second to last class of the day: ethics. 

For some reason he couldn’t stop staring at her. She looked different and out of place, almost disturbed. She wasn’t herself, she had yet to make fun of him. He expected it, it was their thing. So it was weird that she hadn’t made a comment about him.

Oliver tapped her shoulder and whispered, “What’s up?”

She didn’t answer right away but rather handed him a little black card. It looked similar, no, identical to the note she’d received from The League. He whispered again, “The League?” He leaned forward over his desk with his head by her shoulder and gave back the card.

She nodded her head and whispered back, “They stole my clothes. I told Lance. He’s gonna do a search to find out who took them.”

Oliver swallowed thickly because the image of Felicity’s pink panties shoved under his mattress reached him. _FUCK!_ He had stolen her panties. Now he’d look like not only a creep who stole underwear but even worse he’d look like he’s in The League. And there’s also his alcohol stash. “When’s that happening?”

“Right after class. Why?”

“No reason. I hope Lance catches them.” With that they dropped the conversation.

Oliver needed a plan. He needed to get rid of the panties. And the vodka.  But there was no time for that. After Ethics Oliver had history class with Ms. Michaels and he had to give a presentation so cutting class was not an option either. 

_Fuck._

_Double fuck!_

He’s screwed. 

* * *

 

After class lance came looking for Felicity. First up they searched the lockers and came up empty. They moved over to the dorms. Boys first. They began with Tommy and Oliver’s room.

Oliver seemed to be nervous. Maybe he was hiding something he wasn’t supposed to have in school. Who knows?

They didn’t find anything in Oliver’s room. 

He was relieved when Lance found his vodka stashed with Max’s stuff. That’s the only thing Oliver managed to hide. Felicity’s undies still remained hidden underneath his mattress. 

They moved from room to room and all were clean. They went back to Felicity’s room to finish up the search. Laurel’s closet was clean as well as Sara’s.

“Miss Smoak…” Lance cleared his throat, “What is this?”

Felicity looked at what Lance was signaling to and she shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible!” Her clothes were there in her closet as if they were never gone.

“I don’t appreciate being taken for a fool. You just bought yourself a warning, Ms. Smoak.”

_Frack!_

* * *

They weren’t friends and this right here proved why.

That night Felicity went to the secret room, not even sure why. It just had become part of her everyday routine, go to school during the day and go to the secret room every night. And Oliver was there, every night. 

“Hey, I was wondering when were you going to show up.” 

Felicity walked over to the couch where he sat. Oliver handed her an envelope and she stared at him questioningly. “It’s for you. I hope it’s enough, it’s the best I could do on such short notice.”

Felicity opened the envelope. Inside was money. 300 dollars. “Whoa! What’s this for?”

Oliver said as matter of fact. “For you, to use, to buy yourself more clothes and uniforms. With this we’re officially even.”

 At first she didn’t know how to fell about this. Thankful? Appreciative of the gesture? Angry? Disappointed? There was definitely anger and some unexpected pity. Because this throwing money around is something he must’ve learned from his father. 

“Umm…First, thank you. Two, no, thanks. I have my own money, I don’t need yours nor do I want it. I can afford to buy more clothes. Three, is this how you solve your problems, by throwing money at them? Not that I’m suggesting that this is your problem…you get the gist!” She waved the money in the air.

Oliver scoffed, “Well excuse me for being nice. I won’t do it again. Jeez! Keep the money. I owed you a laptop anyway.” 

Felicity smiled. “Fine…hey, what were you hiding in your room? You seemed nervous when Lance and I were there, you were fidgeting like a crack addict plus that thing you do with your hand and the rubbing fingers was anything but subtle.”

“Vodka.” He laughed nervously. “Did you guys catch the culprit?”

“Ha!” She laughed with irony. “Those asses put my clothes back in my closet. We searched all the school only to find out that my clothes were back in my closet.”

Oliver grimaced, “They’re making you look like you’re crazy, well crazier.” 

Oliver’s observation sparked up an idea in her head. “Just like they did to Ray.”

Felicity explained her theory to Oliver. If The League operated the same way as always, in the same pattern, that meant that soon they would attack her in the laundry room, most likely. Sure they’d skipped on a few scares but at least that meant that she didn’t have to run around school naked, Oliver laughed uncomfortably at that. The mental picture was enough to get him going, the pressure building in his pants and him trying to picture sad puppies.

* * *

 

A week passed and she received another letter asking her to go home to Vegas.

She didn’t. 

* * *

 

Tommy had nothing to inform to Lance other than the fact that Laurel missed her mother.

Still Lance asked him to keep an eye on Laurel. And so Tommy did.

Tommy felt like a creep for following her around without her knowing he was there watching.

Turns out, Laurel really doesn’t hang out with anyone else that isn’t Felicity, or her sister Sara or Sara’s friend Nyssa. There was the occasional study session with Joanna, but other than that she kept a tight social circle. It was kind of sad and pathetic that she had no friends other than her sister and her roommate. All she ever did on her free time was go to the library or the study hall. That’s all she ever did, homework.

This week however she was nowhere to be seen. He had checked the library, the study hall, even the computer lab but he found her where he least expected, in the game room.

She was there with Felicity, Sara and Nyssa. Felicity was teaching them how to play pool. Tommy stood nearby taking notes because Felicity had some serious game. He also eavesdropped on their conversation. They were talking about the school’s Halloween costume party that was happening on Friday night. The girls were discussing their costumes. Sara and Nyssa were going as the Pink and Yellow Power Rangers. Laurel said she was going as the Black Canary and Felicity was going as Peggy Carter. 

After having creeped enough Tommy exited the game room and went to his room. He opened the door, “Ollie?”

Oliver was just coming out of the shower with just a towel wrapped around his hips. “What’s up?” He leaned over the railing to look down at his friend.

Tommy looked up and quickly realized he could see up Oliver’s towel. “For the love of God! OLIVER JONAS QUEEN!! Put some underwear on!”

Oliver cackled and walked over to his closet to put some clothes on while Tommy asked him what he planned to wear to the party. “I can’t decide. I’m torn between Batman or Captain America.” 

Tommy smirked, “Captain America for sure.”

“Well, I guess it’s decided then. What are you going as?” He asked as he descended from the spiral staircase fully clothed.

Tommy leaned back on his bed stroking his chin, “I was thinking maybe the Green Arrow.”

“Nice.”

* * *

 

It was Friday night and the party was on full swing. The party was being held in the dining room, most of the tables were cleared to make room for the dance floor. There was some of that fake cobweb hanging from everywhere and fog machines provided a spooky effect. MØ’s Final Song was playing and the girls were dancing in a small group. Sara and Nyssa were there with the other Power Rangers while Laurel and Felicity tagged along with their group.

Oliver and Tommy showed up and as soon as they entered the party Oliver lost Tommy. Typical Tommy. Oliver took in the room and the people in their costumes. There was a lot of girls dressed like Wonder Woman, he spotted at least six Batman, countless Jokers. He chuckled when he spotted the squad of Power Rangers, so far that was the best group costume he’d seen, also a Black Canary he recognized because Tommy’s favorite superhero was the Green Arrow and the Black Canary was his girl. And standing by the Black Canary was one Peggy Carter. What are the odds, he thought.

He ought to go over and ask her to dance, after all this was a party, plus Tommy had ditched him. 

 The thing about costume parties is that they provide a safety blanket when things like these happen. Here was Oliver, about to ask a perfect stranger to dance with him, and the fact that half of his face was hidden behind a mask made him feel less nervous. Plus Halloween was the only night where Oliver could be anyone he wanted to. Tonight he decided he’d be himself. He approached the girl dressed as Peggy.

Felicity felt her shoulder being tapped, when she turned around she was met with the sight of a Captain America with killer blue eyes. 

“Wanna dance?” That voice was way too familiar to not recognize it right away, so were his eyes.

“Oliver?” 

He didn’t recognize her right away since she was apparently wearing a wig and had ditched her glasses. Her voice and eyes, much like his, gave her away. “Ugh! Felicity?!” He rolled his eyes and took off his mask. “Why are you dressed like Peggy?” He asked her that in order to distract her from the fact that seconds ago he’d asked her to dance.

Felicity thought he looked way better without that Captain America costume, his hair was sticking up at odd angles, it made him look boyish, adorable and somewhat innocent. _Focus, Felicity! Why are you dressed like Peggy?_ “Because she’s a badass lady. Why are you dressed like Steve?” 

“Because…He’s the Cap!” Oliver took a deep breath before pleading, “Let’s not fight tonight…I’ll stay out of you way and you’ll stay out of mine. Deal?” He held out his hand for her to shake hoping she’d agree. The past few weeks had been hard on him and he just wanted to have a good time and forget about his problems, which would be difficult since he was sober and no longer had his stash of vodka so he really didn’t need to add a fight with Felicity to his list. 

Finally she shook his hand, “Fair enough.”

Oliver kept his distance. After 15 minutes he got bored and bailed on the party, the night was a total bust. With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do he decided to go to the secret room. He’d been there for almost an hour and he needed a bathroom break.

Oliver was careful not to make any noise as he moved the back panel of the cabinet, he was about to open the cabinet doors when he heard some muffled voices. He cracked open the door just enough to get a peek at what was going on. He froze on the spot. He couldn’t believe his eyes. 

In the laundry room stood four shadows. They weren’t actual shadows, Oliver realized, they were dressed head to toe in black with hoods over their heads. They were saying something, yelling at someone but he couldn’t make out who they were yelling at. Or who they were; their voices were electronically enhanced and totally unrecognizable. But he could understand what they were saying.

“Do you feel like giving up yet?!” 

The shadows surrounded some poor victim. Two shadows stood on either side of the victim a third in front of the victim doing the questioning and the fourth shadow stood by the door probably on lookout.  

Then came the distinct sound of slapping. He saw how the shadow pulled back their hand and slap the shit out of the poor victim. The victim whimpered and cried, “Fine! Fine! I’ll go.” The shadow brought their hand back up ready to strike again. “I promise! I’ll go tonight, I won’t be back on Monday.”

Oliver’s blood ran cold. His veins felt full of lead and anger. He had to bite his tongue not to scream and beat the shit out of the shadows. Anger, pure anger ran through his veins and not a single coherent thought through his mind.

Felicity sat on top of the washer with her legs brought up to her chest, head bowed as she cried her eyes out. The shadows were gone now, which meant he could come out of the cabinet.

He stumbled out noisily and Felicity reacted by jumping up and moving her hands to cover her face and screaming, “PLEASE NOT AGAIN!” 

“I’m not gonna hurt you, Felicity.” He removed her hands from her face to examine her. She looked broken, destroyed and she couldn’t stop crying. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.” He gave her a hand and helped her get down from the washer. Felicity buried her head in his chest as soon as she touched the ground, his hands went around her and tugged her forward to cage her in his chest. She held on for dear life as he brought a hand up to stroke her hair. “Should I go get someone or…?” Felicity shook her head. “Okay, then let’s go downstairs.” Felicity nodded and took his offered hand and squeezed it.

He understood her gratitude. Once downstairs they sat down on one of the couches. Oliver tugged her back into his chest and held her there until she calmed down. “Stay here, I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

She hesitated before letting go of him, “Okay.”

Oliver came back after ten minutes and he brought a bag full of stuff. He brought back food from the party, a change of clothes, some pillows and blankets.

Oliver offered her some food but she refused to eat. He handed her some of his sweatpants and a grey pullover sweater. “I-I thought you might want to change. I tried to sneak into your room to get you some pjs but Laurel was already there.”

Felicity avoided looking at him but she took the clothes, “Thanks.” She whispered. Oliver immediately turned around and shut his eyes to give her some privacy while she changed.

“I talked to Digg, to cover for us, I said that we went home… so you should let the girls know you’re down here.” He informed her.

“The girls don’t know about this place.”

_Oh?_ He thought.

“I’ll just tell them Mom picked me up or something. I don’t wanna have to explain all this to them, not tonight…you can turn around, I’m decent again.”

Oliver smiled at her, he didn’t know what else to do. They sat back down on the couch. He sat by her side, she had stopped crying but he could see that she was still shaken up. 

“You really didn’t mean that right? I mean, there’s no way you’re leaving school.” Oliver stated.

Felicity sat there silent. She couldn’t believe this happened to her. She had stepped out of the party to go to the ladies’ room and when she came out those four shadows jumped her. They said horrible things, things they were gonna do to her. They hid in the laundry room while they tortured her. They kept slapping her and telling her to go home. They also asked her to hand over the box.

 

 

> _“We know you found our lair. We also know you have the box. GIVE IT BACK! Or you won’t like how we’ll take it.”_
> 
> _“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She cried._
> 
> _“You cleaned that room! You’ve seen the box. You took it. It’s not there anymore, so give it back!”_

She’d had enough. It was too much for her to handle and she wanted to give up. “I’m leaving.” She assured him.

“I thought you’d stay and fight. I thought you were stronger, I guess I was wrong. Wouldn’t be the first time.” Oliver saw the fire in her eyes. He managed to piss her off, just like he wanted. Maybe she was stubborn enough to stay and prove him wrong. It was why he’d said those things. She liked proving him wrong. It was their thing, the constant bickering.

“You said you’d stop them before graduation. You can’t do that if you leave.” He pointed out.

“And I can’t do it alone!” She complained.

“I know, which is why I’ll help you.” 

Felicity was impressed. Oliver had come up with a plan to keep her safe from The League. It mostly involved Felicity never being by herself on school grounds or off campus either. His plan started with Felicity telling the girls what had happened tonight and about the secret room. Then she had to spend as much time as possible away from school, this is where Oliver comes in. He’d been working at the Youth Center in The Glades so he suggested Felicity could help tutor the kids. Oliver enjoyed his time there and missed it, he just wanted another reason to keep going there. The next step to stopping The League was joining it. This is the only part of Oliver’s plan that he hadn’t thought through. He had no idea how to get into The League but maybe together they could figure it out. 

“Fine. I’ll stay.” Felicity said after hearing him out. 

Felicity got up from the couch and grabbed a pillow and a blanket and settled back on the couch. Oliver moved and sat on the floor in front of the couch with his back leaning against it for support. They talked about The League some more and Felicity told him that they wanted the box back. Those papers must be important for them to want those back so badly. Oliver offered to hide the box at his house and she agreed.

Felicity was falling asleep now with her hand on Oliver’s shoulder and before fully closing her eyes she mumbled, “Oliver.”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you.”

After she’d fallen asleep Oliver took her hand off from his shoulder and tucked her in. On autopilot his hand stroked her cheek in a tender gesture he’d only ever used on his little sister. He caught himself and he adjusted her blanket to make sure her feet were covered. He the rummaged through his bag and took out his sweats and changed into them. As quietly as possible Oliver slid another couch and connected it to Felicity’s, making essentially a bed. Oliver settled on his couch facing her and went to sleep.

* * *

 

He opened his eyes in the middle of the night when he felt and heard Felicity jump up from the couch and struggled to get oxygen into her lungs. Oliver reached out to her trying to soothe her by stroking her back. “Come here.” He pulled her back down and made her lie back on her couch. “What happened?”

She must’ve been terrified because she sought out his arms. Felicity moved closer to Oliver until she was circled in his embrace. Oliver put his arms around her without hesitation and she was trembling. She probably had a nightmare, about The League most likely. “Shh. It’s okay Felicity. You’re safe.”

She tightened her arms around him in response. He was warm. Way too warm. “You don’t have a shirt on. Please tell me you have pants on!” She stilled in his arms at the realization, this was awkward. 

She felt Oliver’s laugh bubble up from his chest, “Yes, I have pants on. I-umm. This is how I sleep. Something about my blood pressure, it makes me feel warmer than I should, so I usually sleep like this. Sometimes in just my boxers.” He shouldn’t have said that. TMI Oliver! TMI! But she didn’t let go of him and neither did he. He held her there to his chest, warm and safe. She told him about her nightmare. “Are you okay?” He asked after a while.

“I don’t know.” She whispered.

He held her tighter and offered to hold her until she fell asleep, she took him up on his offer. She settled under his chin. He could feel her uneasiness. At one point she brought up her hand and her fingers traced the skin over his heart. “What’s this mean?” She finally asked.

He didn’t know what she was talking about. Was it about them? They are basically cuddling. He didn’t even know why he did that. All night he’d looked after her, took care of her and he didn’t even need to think about it. He just did what he did because he felt like it. It confused him because they weren’t even friends, not really. They had learned how to coexist in the same space, that didn’t mean that he liked her or considered her a friend. He looked down at her, she was staring at his tattoo as she traced it with her fingers.   _OHH! She meant the tattoo. She wanted to know what his tattoo meant._  

“I don’t know. I got it while drunk on my 16th birthday.”

She muttered ‘figures’. Soon after that he felt her relax and her breathing evened out. Before falling asleep Oliver tangled his legs with hers.

* * *

 

Felicity woke up feeling heavy and numb on her left side. It seemed that Oliver didn’t let go of her last night. He said he’d hold her until she fell asleep, but he must’ve fallen asleep too. He also must’ve shifted in his sleep because his head was now buried in her neck and was laying half on top of her.

This was new for her. She had never slept with a guy. She had barely dated and now she had essentially cuddled with Oliver last night. She didn’t really know how to feel about it. She couldn’t even describe how it felt: strange, new, natural, amazing, safe. It was mostly confusing because she didn’t really like Oliver, not even as a friend nor a person, but somehow it felt right, natural and not at all forced. Maybe she was warming up to him. Maybe now they could be friends.

She lightly combed her fingers through his hair he hummed in his sleep. It was kinda cute, he was kinda cute all asleep. Quiet moments between them were an anomaly, but this right here was enjoyable. She didn’t want to disrupt the peace. Oliver was nice when he wasn’t talking or conscious. Actually he wasn’t that bad, he’d offered to help her out with The League and stayed with her last night. She was a mess last night but she was glad that even though it was Oliver who’d helped her, she wasn’t alone. And now it was time to get up and go back to real life. She had to tell the girls what happened.

“Oliver, get up.” She said and Oliver immediately rolled over, he had been awake all this time. “I’m gonna go and talk to the girls. Let’s meet upstairs in the laundry room at noon, okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

 

The first thing Felicity did when she got to her room was take out her contacts. Crying and sleeping in them left her eyes sore. She took a shower and changed into her clothes. 

Felicity summoned the girls and sat down with them to tell them what had happened with The League. She asked them to go with her to the laundry room because she had something to show them.

“What’s he doing here?” Sara asked when she spotted Oliver as they entered the laundry room. 

“He came up with the plan. But let’s not talk about it here.” Felicity nodded at Oliver, instructing him to open the cabinet. The girls looked confused, “Follow him.” Felicity commanded. 

With everybody briefed on the plan, they were discussing ideas on how to infiltrate The League. Nyssa kept shaking her head ‘no’.

“The only way to join The League is to get invited. Or if you’ve had a family member in The League they have to save you a spot.” Nyssa finally spoke up.

“How do you know?” Oliver crossed his arms, “How come you’re suddenly an expert on The League?”

She hesitated before answering, “I’ve got a spot on The League. I know because…” She dropped her head in shame, “My older sister Talia used to be in The League. If you want someone on the inside I’m your girl. I’m basically already a member, they just gotta ask me and initiate me.” 

All eyes were on Nyssa now. “Are you sure? They’re really dangerous.” Felicity emphasized. 

“I’m not comfortable with this.” Sara blurted. 

“It’s up to you, Nyssa.” Laurel said and Oliver nodded in agreement.

“I’ll do it. We’ll bring them down, Felicity.” Nyssa assured her.

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 18

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Nyssa tries to infiltrate The League, Oliver and Felicity go to the Youth Center in The Glades, Max comes back from rehab and tries to apologize to Laurel, Tommy spies on Laurel.  
> Next chapter probably won't be as long as this one. 
> 
> What did you think about this chapter? I'm eager to know.


	19. Nyssa al Ghul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa tries to infiltrate The League, Oliver and Felicity go to the Youth Center in The Glades, Max comes back and Tommy spies on Laurel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! This chapter kinda got away from me. I hope you like it.  
> I would've posted this yesterday had I not been watching Arrow.  
> Quick side note: Wow! What a great way to start the season! I'm fully on board with this rollercoaster. Ok, I'm done. Happy reading!

The first thing she had to do was cut ties with Felicity. If she wanted to get The League’s attention she couldn’t be seen hanging out with Felicity. Nyssa and Felicity came up with a plan to get The League’s interest, a fight. 

They had one very public fight where Nyssa stormed off bad mouthing Felicity and saying stuff about how she was a charity case, classic League catnip. But no one approached her.

* * *

 

They planned another fight. 

In this fight Nyssa really laid it on thick and sold it.

 

 

> _“Do you know who you’re talking to? I am Nyssa al Ghul.” She grabbed Felicity by the collar of her shirt, “I’ve got connections in higher places. I know special people…You understand what I’m saying?”_
> 
> _Felicity acted annoyed and totally unimpressed by Nyssa’s threats. “You entitled asses! You’re all the same. What, you think you’re the first one to threaten me? You all talk a big game, threatening people left and right…I’ll believe it when I see it.” She stormed off._
> 
> _“Yeah, we’ll see about that, charity case!” Nyssa shouted back._

After that Nyssa got approached by McKenna Hall, who said something very cryptic about knowing people in high places too. And that day Nyssa found a note in her locker. A note from The League. 

**_Tonight. After light’s out. Stand by your locker._ **

She quickly informed the girls about the sudden development. Sara refused to let her friend go alone but she got out voted by Laurel and Felicity, who pointed out that if Nyssa was to be trusted by The League she had to play by the rules. They were all on board, that night Nyssa would meet with The League.

* * *

 

Nyssa snuck out of her room and walked silently through the empty school hallways until she reached her locker. A shadow awaited her there. She took a deep breath, after this there was no turning back. Nyssa closed the remaining distance and finally arrived at her locker.

“Nyssa al Ghul?” The shadow asked. There was no way to tell if the shadow was indeed a guy or a girl because of the voice scrambler and the whole dark ensemble. 

She confirmed her identity by nodding her head.

“Put this on.” The shadow handed her a blindfold. She followed instructions and the shadow guided her as they walked to a new location. She tried to keep track of their steps and the direction they were headed towards but she was unable to keep up. 

“This is Nyssa al Ghul.” The shadow announced while taking off the blindfold. 

Nyssa opened her eyes and tried to take in her surroundings. She was in a dark room dimly lit by some flashlights, but the light wasn’t bright enough for her to really observe or recognize the room. In front of her stood more shadows.

“Al Ghul? Any relation with Talia al Ghul?” another shadow asked.

“Yes. Talia was my sister.”

Talia was four years older than her. She too had attended EWS. She was a senior when it happened. Talia and her boyfriend Benny Fuller, Max’s older brother, had been at a party at a friend’s house. 

When Nyssa first met Max she immediately recognized him, but she didn’t want to remind him of how they might already know each other. After all it had only been two years since it happened. 

Talia and Benny had gotten high and drunk at a party. Since she started dating Benny, Talia had developed a thing for drugs. Nyssa never really liked him, she blamed him for what happened. 

Benny and Talia had a car accident. Talia died on impact and Benny barely made it to the hospital. He had to be put in a medically induced coma in order to keep him alive. Three months later he woke up from the coma, he stayed hospitalized for a while but he made a full recovery. Benny ran away from Starling and hadn’t been heard of since then.

The shadows were somewhat impressed with the fact that she’s Talia’s sister. Seems like Talia was important within The League. Maybe she didn’t really know her sister after all.

Nyssa still remembers the day she found the hooded outfit in Talia’s closet at home.

 

 

> _“What’s this?”_
> 
> _“It’s my League outfit.”_
> 
> _“League? What’s that?”_
> 
> _“A special afterschool club. You’ll join when you attend EWS.”_

“Your sister was an essential member of this organization.” Another shadow said, this time she could tell that this shadow was a female. Even though they had voice scramblers this voice was higher pitched, she noticed.

The male shadow spoke again. Said that they’d been observing her. Nyssa asked about her spot in The League. The shadow explained that while she had a spot reserved she still had to prove herself to them before becoming one of them, just like everyone else had. 

They gave her a burner phone and said they’d be in contact. 

“This week you’ll receive a message. We’ll assign you a task for you to complete.”

“Okay…umm. When will you give me an uniform and one of those voice thingies?”

“When you’ve proven you’re worth it. Escort her back.” He commanded to one of the shadows.

* * *

 

The next day after school, Nyssa met with Felicity in the secret room, Oliver was there too. She told them she’d met with The League the previous night and that they’d given her a burner phone.

“I’m not sure where we met last night, I was blindfolded. But they gave me this.” She handed Felicity the phone, “They said they’d be in contact.”

“This is good. I could work up a little tech, bug this phone with it and boom. We’ll know everything they say to you without having to meet up like this. We can’t risk being seen together.” Felicity said.

Nyssa nodded her head, “Sounds good.”

“Can you do that? Bug a phone?” Oliver questioned Felicity.

Felicity turned back to answer him, “Probably. I’ve never really done it, it’s not how I typically get my information.”

“How do you typically do it?” He asked.

“I hack their phones and computers.” She smiled smugly, “Like I did with you.”

Nyssa stood there watching them go back and forth with their banter, feeling out of place like she’d missed something. Felicity turned to her and just supplied, “Long story.” Felicity excused herself and Oliver because they had to get going to The Glades Youth Center.

 

 

* * *

Oliver had cleared it with Lance, about he and Felicity going to The Glades to do some community service. Lance granted them permission with the condition that they had to present him with evidence, a track of the hours they spent there. Lance would call and talk to a supervisor to make sure they were really there and doing a good job.

Oliver handed Felicity his guitar, “Strap that on your back.” She did as she was told.

They walked to the school parking lot and came to a stop by Oliver’s motorcycle. He handed her a helmet and she stared back at him panic-struck. 

“I’m not getting on that and much less with you as the driver.”

“I’m an excellent driver, Felicity.” He argued.

“Oh. I’m sorry but I find that hard to believe but if I recall you totaled a car no more than a month ago.” She countered.

“Wow. Low blow, but touché. Although I’m a far better driver on two wheels.” Oliver said as he climbed up on his bike. “Come on.” He extended his hand to help her up.

“I swear to God, if you get us killed.” She muttered before taking a hold of his hand and getting on the bike. Oliver warned her about where it was safe to put her feet. Felicity put her hands tentatively on his shoulders.

“No.” Oliver moved her hands down from his shoulders to the front of his chest. “Hands go here. Hold on to me tight.” She did held on tightly, molding her body to his back, her hands gripping his firm chest. She was afraid, ever since the accident that put her in the wheelchair. Before it happened Felicity would’ve enjoyed being on the back of a motorcycle, but it changed her. It made her careful and more aware of everything that posed a danger. 

She was glad that Oliver couldn’t see her face because she was certain that she was blushing profusely. Being this close to him reminded her of the night of the Halloween party, the way he held her, how safe she felt in his arms. She might not trust him to get them safely anywhere on that bike but before she could complain they had arrived at their destination. 

“Here we are.” Oliver said as he patted her hands. She hadn’t even noticed when he killed the engine. 

“We’re alive!” She exclaimed as she got off ungracefully from the bike. 

“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I’m not completely useless.” He said taking off his helmet and running his fingers through his hair. 

They walked inside the center and the first thing they did was talk to the supervisor, Mr. Chen. Oliver was acquainted with Mr. Chen due to his court ordered community service, he introduced Felicity and reminded Mr. Chen that she was the girl they had talked about. 

Oliver stood by Felicity as Mr. Chen introduced her to the kids. 

“OLIVER!” A young boy, no older than ten, ran over to hug Oliver.

Oliver crouched down to give him a big hug. “Hey, buddy.”

The sight was strange to Felicity. The kids seemed to like Oliver and had actually missed having him around. That was the last thing she expected. Oliver was a snotty, stuck-up, spoiled trust fund baby and yet somehow these less privileged kids liked him. It made no sense whatsoever. 

“Who’s the babe?” The kid asked Oliver.

“What babe?” Oliver asked and the boy pointed to Oliver’s back. “That’s Felicity.”

Felicity approached them, “You better be taking notes, Oliver. This kid has more game than you do.” She teased him. “What’s your name, kid?” She addressed the boy. 

He extended his hand to her, “Roy William Harper, Jr.”

She shook his hand, “It’s nice to meet such well mannered boys like you, Roy. I’m Felicity Megan Smoak.” She smiled and couldn’t help herself and  pinched his cheek. 

* * *

 

On the way back to school Oliver and Felicity stopped by Tech Village to pick up some supplies for Felicity to fabricate the bug. She’d confessed to Oliver that she really didn’t know how to make the bug, but she’d spoken with her father and he’d said that he would teach her how to make it. After that they stopped by Big Belly Burger and picked up some for themselves and the girls.

After checking in with Lance and meeting with the girls Felicity and Oliver went to the secret room to work on the bug. Well for Felicity to work on the bug while Oliver watched. 

Felicity was Skyping with her father, who was instructing her on how to make the bug.

“And there you have it. You can check it from your laptop or tablet. Don’t get in trouble.” Her father warned her.

“It’s done?” Oliver asked her.

Her father got closer to the screen and squinted his eyes to get a better view and Oliver came into focus behind Felicity. “Who’s that? I thought you were alone.”

Felicity turned her back on her father to explain to Oliver how the bug was supposed to work. Her father kept calling her name, “WHAT?!” She snapped back at her father.

“You are not old enough to be dating, Felicity! Who is that boy?”

Felicity cackled, “Dad! I’m not. That’s not.” Oliver moved closer and took a seat beside her. She looked at Oliver and back to the screen where her father was fuming and behaving like a caveman. “This is Oliver, a guy from school. We are not dating.”

“Hello, it’s a pleasure Mr. Smoak.” Oliver waved to Felicity’s father.

“That’s Mr. Kuttler for you young man.”

“Yes, sir.” Oliver mumbled back.

“Felicity, I gotta go now. If you do get in trouble…I didn’t teach you any of this, okay? Take care, baby. I love you.” He waved good-bye.

“Love you too, Dad.” Felicity, with a huge smile on her face, waved back until the call had ended. 

Oliver observed the whole exchange between father and daughter. They communicated with such ease and her father actually took time from his day to help her. Even with the time difference Mr. Kuttler attended to his daughter’s needs and listened to her. Oliver envied that connection Felicity had with both of her parents.

“Kuttler?” Oliver inquired about her father’s last name.

“Yeah, Dad thought Smoak had more personality.”

“It definitely suits you.” Oliver handed Felicity a burger, they still hadn’t eaten, they were too focused on working on the tech to eat. 

“So the kids seem to like you.” Felicity commented in between bites.

“You seem surprised.” He said back.

“Well, yeah. I mean, no offense, but you’re not the most likeable or relatable person, so it’s kinda a surprise that those poor kids would like you. You have nothing in common.”

“None taken. You and I have nothing in common. Me and those kids…I can relate to them.” Oliver took a big bite so he didn’t have to answer anymore questions.

Felicity thought about it and maybe Oliver could  relate. Most of those kids had troubled homes, some were wards of the state, like little Roy, whereas Oliver was a ward of EWS. 

“They remind you of Thea, don’t they?” Felicity deducted.

“Yeah.” He whispered.

Felicity made a mental note to schedule a visit to Thea’s school in Central City.

* * *

 

The next morning Felicity gave Sara the bug for Nyssa’s shadow phone. 

Things were calm. Felicity hadn’t received any more threats from The League. It was weird because she expected them to go after her more intensely since she’d turned back on her word by staying in school. She was wary of the situation, she didn’t want to get comfortable just because they weren’t actively pursuing her. It was comforting having someone on the inside of the organization in spite of everything. 

They were in Ethics when principal Lance came in to announce the return of Max. “He’ll be joining you guys tomorrow.”

Felicity quickly sought out Laurel, they stared anxiously at one another. They had yet to get even with Max for what he did to them but they thought he’d been expelled from school or something, no one is sick for that long. It had been weeks since Max had reportedly called in sick and now he was back. 

Oliver glanced at Tommy, who didn’t seem that surprised by the news. “You knew about this?” Oliver asked him. 

Tommy nodded his head, “Lance told me. But he said not to tell anybody. Sorry, man.” 

Oliver did not like this, not one bit. Surely Max would be pissed at them, well at Tommy. But still Oliver hated the guy on principle.

Oliver felt bad that he had to leave Tommy to deal with Max after school, but he was relieved because that meant that he didn’t have to deal with Max.

Felicity left with Oliver to go over to the Youth Center.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at school Tommy was avoiding going back to his room. He didn’t want to face Max after selling him out to Lance. They couldn’t share a room, not after all that happened.

Tommy went to Lance because he needed a favor from the man. 

Lance welcomed him to his office and offered him a seat. “Hey, Tom. How are things going?”

“Good, sir. But I’m not here to talk about Laurel. This is about Max.”

“What about him?”

“Sir, Oliver and I can’t share a room with him. I’m gonna need a favor from you. I think you owe me that much.”

“Sure, Tom. What do you need? A new roommate?”

Tommy nodded his head.

“There are no vacancies so I’ll have to switch him out with someone else.” Lance warned.

“That’s okay, sir. As long as he is not my roommate anymore…And one more thing,” Tommy said and Lance looked at him expectantly and unimpressed, “Could you do that today? Please.”

“Consider it done, Merlyn. Now get out of here. Go, spy on my daughter.” 

Tommy did as he was told and went looking for Laurel. He found her in the study hall but she wasn’t alone. Max was trying to talk to her. She was ignoring him but Tommy could see how uncomfortable she was. Screw avoiding Max, he thought.

Tommy walked over and once he reached Laurel he closed her notebook. “Laurel, come on! We’re gonna be late for the thing.” He didn’t even acknowledge Max’s existence. Laurel played along and gathered her books. Tommy wanted to deliver a clear message to Max, so he grabbed Laurel’s books and bag. He threw his free arm around her shoulder and tugged her closer as they exited the study hall.

“Thanks. I didn’t know what to say to him. He was trying to apologize.”

“Too bad you didn’t have a drink handy, you could’ve thrown that on his head.” He teased and Laurel laughed in response.

Leave it to Tommy Merlyn to lighten the mood. He was proving to be more dependable when she needed him. And he was there for her even if he hadn’t been summoned. Laurel was glad to have him there to get her out of confronting Max. She was still mad at him and now more than ever she wanted her revenge.  

“Thanks, Merlyn.” She kissed his cheek, “But I got it from here.” She gestured him to give back her bag and books. 

“Anytime.” He smiled.

* * *

 

Laurel waited for Felicity to get back that afternoon so they could start working on their vengeance. Felicity finally arrived and as soon as she walked through the door they started throwing ideas around. So far nothing seemed good enough. For the time being they would ignore him whenever he tried to talk to either of them, until they could come up with a brilliant plan.

 

 

* * *

When Oliver walked back to his room that day, he was expecting to find Tommy and Max going at it. But the room was quiet. Tommy was nowhere to be found and Max’s stuff was no longer on his bed. Oliver was going back out when he bumped into someone at the door.

Hmph!

“Ray?”

“Hiya, roomie.”

“Roomie?” What the hell happened while he was gone? And why did Tommy get kicked out of his own room?

“Yeah, Lance made me swap places with Max.” Ray said, filling in the blanks for Oliver. 

Tommy didn’t get kicked out of his room, Max did. 

“That’s good. Welcome aboard, Ray.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Ray saluted him.

Oliver chuckled, Ray was such a nerd he would make a great roommate. He had to share the news with Tommy. 

**O: We got a new roomie! Where have you been?**

**T: Awesome. Can’t talk right now, I’m with Laurel!**

**O: (; okay.**

* * *

 

Nyssa still waited for her shadow phone to ring. They had bugged the phone so if and when The League contacted her Felicity could dig around and maybe get some leads as to who inside The League was contacting her.

To bring down The League they were going to need names and evidence in order to convince Lance to expel them. It would take some time because Nyssa still had to prove her worth to The League.

Finally a text came through on Friday morning. 

**_Felicity Smoak. Burn her locker down._ **

Nyssa did it. She technically burned the locker just not the contents of it. Before setting it on fire she grabbed the few books Felicity kept there and stored them in Sara’s locker. Thank God she had Sara’s locker combo otherwise she would’ve had to risk storing them in her own. She ended up burning a spare tie Felicity had in her locker. 

Nyssa set it on fire and ran back to class. A minute later the fire alarm blared and everyone followed protocol and made an orderly exit from the classrooms.

The fire department got in there and found the source of the contained fire.

Felicity knew that The League was behind the fire, she had no doubt about it. It eased her nerves to know that they were still going after her, instead of wondering when the next attack would come.

* * *

Felicity changed from her uniform into a rose gold sparkly crop top and high waist-ed jeans paired with her strappy golden sandals and some simple light makeup. Oliver had made a point that they could and, for her sake, should stay out for the night and make the most of it. Oliver wore some dark wash jeans, converse and a plaid blue shirt that brought out his beautiful blue eyes. They went over to the Youth Center.

After a while of helping the kids with their homework, felicity walked around the center looking for Oliver. She was curious about what he did there. He wasn’t tutoring kids, that was her job, which begs the question, what did he do there? Oliver wasn’t as smart as Felicity was, she knew because she’d seen his records and his GPA was average.

Felicity came to a stop on the doorway of the activities room of the center, where she found Oliver sitting on the floor surrounded by the kids. It was sweet, the kids sat there captivated by Oliver’s voice. He looked to be so comfortable and at home, he had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Her appreciation of the view was cut short by little Roy, who spotted her and begged her to join them.

“Sing with Ollie!” Little Jessica Harris pleaded.

Oliver turned to Felicity, “Yeah, come on. Sing with us.” He patted the spot next to him on the floor. She complied and took a seat.

“What should we sing?” Oliver asked the kids.

Roy jumped up, “The cool kids song!” 

Oliver laughed at the young boy’s enthusiasm, “Okay.”

Oliver looked it up on his phone and handed it over to Felicity for her to hold up. He started to strum his guitar waiting for her to start singing, when she didn’t join he nudged her with his elbow. Oliver counted down and nodded at her when it was time for her to join. This time she did sing on time, Oliver joined her for the chorus and sang back up vocals. The kids sang along with them. It was pretty awesome for her. She had never really sang outside of the shower before and apparently by the looks of everyone’s faces she didn’t completely suck. Even Oliver complemented her when the song was over.

“Beauty, brains and voice?!” Oliver was learning that Felicity was a girl of many talents.

Felicity choked a little, “You think I’m pretty?” 

“Beautiful.” He clarified. “I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between the two, besides I’m stupid not blind. And apparently not deaf either, you’ve got a nice voice.”

“Thanks.” She hesitated before asking, “Do you mind if we stop by this restaurant nearby, I’ve been dying to go there. And for the sake of clarity, I am **not** asking you out on a date or anything. Don’t flatter yourself. I ask because you’re my ride and I technically can’t go there if you don’t take me.”

“Okay.” He said with a breathy chuckle. “We can go, **not on a date** , to that restaurant.”

As soon as they entered the restaurant the hostess smiled at them, relief flooding her face. “Finally, you’re here! Come with me. I’ll show you where to set up.”

Set up?

Felicity looked down at her hand.

The guitar. They couldn’t leave it behind so they brought it with them. They followed the hostess and she lea them to a small stage.

Oh no. She thinks they’re there to perform. 

Oliver cleared his throat to speak up and explain the misunderstanding but Felicity cut him short.

“Excellent we’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“Okay.” The hostess said and returned to her workstation.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Oliver asked Felicity as she unzipped the guitar case.

“We are going to sing. We’ll need a set list.” Felicity said objectively as she handed Oliver the guitar. She looked around and analyzed the crowd and the atmosphere of the restaurant, ballads it is. “How about some Ed Sheeran?” She asked Oliver.

“No! We’re not doing this. What if someone recognizes me?”

Felicity rolled her eyes. “Get over yourself, you’re not that important, not even the hostess recognized you. Besides, are you really going to turn down this opportunity? That woman thought we’re here to sing, we might as well do it.” She argued.

“Fine. Five songs and we’ll go. I’m still hungry.” Oliver would never admit to Felicity that he was terribly nervous about singing in front of a crowd. Sure, he sang in front of the kids but this was different, this crowd was full of adults. Even though he was nervous he still wanted to do it, this could be the only chance he’d ever get at performing.

They made a set list of songs for Oliver to sing the lead and Felicity to back him up. They decided on Unsteady by X Ambassadors, Yellow by Coldplay, Lucky by Jason Mraz, Friends and Fall by Ed Sheeran. Oliver set up and tuned his guitar while Felicity tested the microphones. People were excited for them to finally sing.

“Good evening everybody.” Felicity addressed the crowed, they cheered back at her. “This is Jonas and I’m Megan and we’re here to sing for you. Let’s get started, Jonas.”

Oliver sat on a stool with his guitar while Felicity stood by him, she had a stool but still chose to stand. 

The crowd loved them and the songs they chose to play. They cheered louder when Felicity and Oliver sang Fall. 

Oliver and Felicity killed it on the stage. When they stepped off Oliver caught a glimpse of the back of a familiar blonde and her coat, she was leaving the restaurant with a strange man.

“Mom?” Oliver asked out loud.

“Moira?” Felicity scoped the restaurant. “I don’t see her.”

“Could’ve sworn it was her, not sure it was her though, she wasn’t with Dad.”

They were interrupted by the hostess. She said that the manager wanted them to play the Friday night gig, they would even get paid. Felicity said yes without consulting with Oliver, he’d gone back to the stage for his guitar.

* * *

 

That Friday night, Nyssa met with The League again. They congratulated her on doing a good job. They spoke about initiating her but before that could happen she had one more test to pass. They wanted to test her for a special job, they wanted to make sure that she was capable of doing it before initiating her.

The job was to be the care-taker of the sophomore class. The League had at least one member in each year. This was great info to have, now Nyssa knew that The League was spread all over school, it’s how they kept the organization alive. It also made it harder to figure out the identities of the members. But the information was good though. It meant that there was a senior care-taker amongst Oliver and Laurel, one in the junior class with Felicity, and Nyssa would be the sophomore. She asked why there wasn’t one assigned yet to her class. 

They explained that the freshmen didn’t get a care-taker. The position was to be filled once they reached sophomore year, that’s why there was a vacancy. The freshmen were scared enough already by coming to a new school, there was very little they had to do to convince the freshmen scholarship kids to abandon the school. They didn’t stand a chance so they didn’t even put up a fight. 

Nyssa had to prove that she could be her class’ care-taker. The care-taker was meant to keep their peers in check. They acted as eyes and ears for The League and only acted when necessary. 

* * *

 

Back at school, after playing at that restaurant, Felicity was on cloud 9 and couldn’t stop rambling about how exhilarating it was to perform with Oliver. He was quiet, too quiet. If anyone was expected to be excited it would be him, given the fact that he was the one who loved music. 

“Hey, What’s wrong? You’re not listening to me, and I know you’re not because you haven’t made fun of anything I’ve said.” Felicity interrupted Oliver’s thoughts.

“I can’t stop thinking about my mom. I know it was her back at the restaurant, but she was there with another man, a man that wasn’t my father.”

“Maybe he’s a friend. A woman can be friends with a man without ulterior motives, you know. Maybe it was a business dinner, who knows.” Felicity offered her point of view.

 “Could be…”

“And if she was there with another man, with ulterior motives, hypothetically speaking, what’s wrong with that? I thought you said your parents were getting a divorce.”

Oliver took a deep breath before explaining to Felicity the conversation he’d had with his parents the day he went home to hide The League’s box. His parents were staying married for a while longer, until after the elections in November, which were right around the corner. Anyways, divorces took months to finalize so his parents were stuck with each other for some months more. “I guess I don’t know how I feel about it.” He concluded.

“Okay, change of topics. How did you like performing?”

Oliver’s eyes got sparkly whenever he spoke about music, she’d seen it when they were in the Youth Center with the kids and she could see it now as he described to her how incredibly awesome it felt.

“Great! Because I spoke with the manager and he wants us to perform there again next week.”

“Really?” 

Felicity nodded her head. “Yep.”

“Then we gotta rehearse and come up with another set list. We can’t get stuck on the same five songs. And you’ve got a great voice, we gotta get you some songs that can showcase that.”

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 19

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Nyssa finds out what's in the box, Oliver and Felicity get even closer, Laurel catches Tommy in the act, someone's father gets rushed to the hospital and the kids get some perspective and a much needed reality check.  
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter.


	20. EMERGENCY!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa talks about Talia with Sara, Laurel catches Tommy in the act, Oliver and Felicity get closer, the teens get a much needed reality check when one of their dads gets rushed to the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying a new format of writing that will hopefully make the story for me easier to write and for you easier to understand. I've been thinking about it and I think I'll keep updating on Fridays. That way I can balance a schedule of writing and watching TV. And soon working. (quick side note: I've been unemployed for months and this week I finally landed a job! :D)  
> I had to cut this chapter in half because it was way too charged with plot and I need to pace myself. There are some characters like Lyla, Digg and Lance amongst others that I still haven't told their stories. So expect to see more of them in upcoming chapters. Happy reading!  
> Don't forget to comment. Oh and BTW if you find that I haven't explained things fully, or find plot holes or have unanswered questions please let me know.

**MONDAY**

Sara was in her room working on her homework with Nyssa. Laurel was gone, said something about having to do some research. Felicity was at the Youth Center in The Glades.

Sara was curious about Nyssa having a sister. They’d known each other for a year and Nyssa never mentioned anything about having a sister. Sara didn’t know how to approach the subject, she was anything but delicate. Hell, the first thing she did when she met Felicity was ask about her legs. She wanted to know about Nyssa’s sister so she just asked.

“Nyssa, you never told me you’ve got a sister, why?” She questioned as she put down her pencil and placed all her attention on her friend.

Nyssa sighed deeply and Sara knew it had been a bad idea to ask. “We don’t have to talk…forget I asked.” Sara apologized.

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you about her. It’s just hard for me to talk about.” Sara took hold of her friend’s hand and squeezed it in support. “My sister died two years ago.”

Nyssa told her all about the accident and how devastated she was. Nyssa’s mom died while giving birth to her, a fact that Sara already knew. Talia and her father Ra’s were all she had, all she’d ever known and that changed when her sister died.

Nyssa managed to get through the whole story without crying, but Sara didn’t. And Sara rarely ever cried, it was as if her tear ducts were damaged. In fact the only other time Sara had cried was when her parents announced their divorce. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you cry.” Nyssa said into Sara’s hair as she hugger her best friend.

“It’s nice to know I still can.” Sara muttered pulling back from Nyssa’s hold.

“I’ve never talked to anybody about this. Thanks.” Nyssa said looking down at their joined hands and smiled shyly. 

Sara commented that talking helps to solve problems or resolve issues, something she’d learned from her sessions with Dr. Turner. But then Nyssa asked about what did she talk about with Dr. Turner. Crap! She couldn’t tell Nyssa about the weird connection she felt towards Felicity and how it confused her. So maybe Sara was gay or bisexual, she couldn’t define it herself yet. But she also didn’t want to lie to her friend. So she was vague about it, but did answer honestly by saying that she talked about everything with Dr. Turner, including home, school, friends and how talking made her feel lighter. 

* * *

 

Ever since the girls decided to take on The League Laurel had been on edge. She was scared that they would find out that she was in on the plan and would target her too. Lately she felt like she was being followed, watched. She could feel eyes staring at her all the time but more intensely whenever she was alone.

Laurel was in the library browsing through the bookshelves when she heard a sound come from the other side of the bookcase. She knocked down the row of books and found Tommy Merlyn staring back at her with a guilty face on.

Busted!

She grabbed his tie and pulled on it making him shove his head through the bookshelf.

“Are you following me? Have you been watching me?” She shout whispered. She needed to know if it was Tommy or if The League had decided to expand their horizons.

His eyes darted around as if looking for answers. “Is that a trick question? Because no matter what I say I’m gonna look bad.” She stared him down until he cracked. “Alright! Yes. No.”

She pulled on his tie making it tighter around his neck. “Which is it Merlyn?”

“Could we talk about this somewhere else? Somewhere where I don’t have to whisper!!” 

“Fine.”

They settled on the empty dining hall. Tommy sat across from Laurel on one of the tables near the entrance. Laurel didn’t wait around, she jumped at his throat asking him to explain why was he following her.

He knows he should tell her the truth. Tell her that it was her father’s idea to follow her around, but that’s not why he stuck around. It’s kind of pathetic, he’s had a crush on her ever since the day he saw her in freshman year. She’s always been a good girl, too good for him. He was a jerk who didn’t know anything about romance, he went through girls as if he were changing a pair of socks. But in his defense he’d never known any better. His mom died too soon for him to appreciate the love his parents shared, and after her death his father turned cold and distant, Malcolm didn’t even try to date years after the death of his wife. So, Tommy never learned what love looked like, how relationships worked, the end result was Tommy being a total ladies man, a douche, that’s not the type of guy a girl like Laurel goes for or deserves.

If Tommy admitted to his crush on her she would dismiss him and turn him down. He chose to tell her the truth just not all of it. It resulted in Laurel asking more questions.

“So…you found out that Max was cheating on me with Felicity-” She pondered out loud analyzing the situation.

“That bit of information was provided by Oliver, but carry on.” He apologized for the interruption. 

“What I don’t understand is why you told my father instead of telling me.” She spoke forcefully demanding answers. 

There was no way of going around it anymore. Maybe if he said it simply, calm, collected, emotionless she wouldn’t want to go into too much detail.

He started by explaining the nature of Oliver’s accident, it happened because he’d taken something. Something that he got from Tommy’s desk, originally given to him by Max. Tommy pointed out Oliver’s curiosity as to where he’d gotten the drugs. Tommy also mentioned the plan of getting Max thrown out of school, Oliver’s idea.

“Point is: Max is clearly not who you thought he was. He’s bad news so he had to go. End of story.” Tommy summarized and Laurel had no trouble in pointing out the obvious.

“Only it’s not the end of story. Max is back at school so your genius plan didn’t-”

“Oliver’s plan. And that one wasn’t my fault. Your dad was on board with kicking him to the curb but Mr. Diggle insisted against it.”

“You still haven’t answered why you’ve been following me.” She ignored the interruption and carried on as if nothing had happened. 

“Your father asked me to. After the whole thing with Max, which apparently you kept secret from him -kudos for that, I didn’t picture you for the sneaking around with a guy, it’s kinda hot- he asked me to keep an eye out for you and report back to him.”

“What did he offer you in exchange?” She demanded to know ignoring his remark on her sneaking around with Max.

“Nothing.”

Laurel narrowed her eyes and studied him. “So, let me get this right. My father asked you to spy on me, nothing in return and you just did it?” He nodded and grinned back at her a little nervously. 

“I told you it was gonna make me look bad.”

She didn’t care for his humor or failed attempt at lightening the mood. She had questions that _needed_ answers. “So why did you actually do it? I mean, if my father is not doing anything for you or getting you something in return, you didn’t _have_ to do anything. You could’ve made something, anything up. Why have you been doing this?”

 _Oh crap!_ This is exactly what he was trying to avoid but Laurel is too smart and too observant to let it slide.

“Gotta get in the good graces with the in-law.” He shut his eyes when he realized what just slipped out. He chuckled awkwardly as he slowly died from embarrassment. His admission caught her completely off guard. She was speechless. He opened and shut his mouth a couple of times but nothing came out, they sat in the most awkward silence until he finally broke it with a laughing fit. 

“Okay…I’m just gonna,” he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, “I’m gonna go pretend this didn’t happen. Okay? Good. Bye.” He said that last part at a speed that reminded her of Felicity, in fact if it wasn’t for her being friends with Felicity she never would’ve understood what he said. He ran out of the dining hall and left her there with all the answers she was looking for but more confused than ever.

* * *

 

It’s only been a week and a half since she started spending most of her time with Oliver, she misses her girls. Being with Oliver has impaired her brain because lately she’s been enjoying herself, whenever they rehearse  a song- that always ends with them disagreeing and ripping each other’s heads off-, spending time together while helping the kids from The Glades, eating burgers. She still can’t stand him, he’s infuriating, but no longer hates him either, it’s a weird in between. 

Felicity slams the door of her room and sighs in relief when Laurel and Sara jump up startled. She ran over to hug both of them, she really missed them. Sara remarked that they saw each other that morning and Laurel piped in and said they’d also seen her off that afternoon when she left with Oliver. She missed hanging out with her girls outside of school. They’ve been so focused on getting information on The League and Felicity avoiding the school as much as she could while living there was proving to be exhausting. And even though Nyssa is infiltrating the organization they’ve hit a wall because Nyssa still doesn’t know the identities of the members.

The girls get caught up in what’s been happening. Sara’s life has been uneventful as of late. Felicity however has something to tell. She confessed that she’s been singing with Oliver at the Youth Center and in a restaurant at the edge of The Glades called Verdant. Felicity invites them to come by on Friday night and check them out.

Laurel recounted the events from that day with Tommy. 

Felicity was mostly concerned with the fact that Laurel thought and was right, that someone was following her around, but relieved nonetheless that it was Tommy the one doing the stalking and not The League. Felicity wondered if Tommy had confessed his crush to Laurel. He didn’t, the coward, he did slip up though. Sara teased Laurel to no end, Felicity scolded her while she questioned Laurel. “Wait, what if he likes you? Would that be so bad?”

To Felicity Tommy didn’t seem like a bad guy, he was sort of douchey but maybe he was different. One lesson she quickly learned in this school is that people hide behind masks, hide their true selves for whatever reason but they hide. Tommy could be a nice guy behind the ladies man façade, stranger things have happened like Max who acted like a good guy but in the end he wasn’t. Maybe Tommy needed a push, some help. 

Laurel considered what Felicity said. “No…I don’t know. I never really thought that was a possibility.” 

Oh god! They’re so oblivious! They need help. 

“Why not?” Sara asked.

“Because. He’s different.” Upon seeing the looks on the girls’ faces she clarified what she meant to say. “He’s nice to me. It’s like he’s a whole different person whenever he’s alone with me.” 

Felicity could picture those two idiots being together.

She smiled because she could relate. Not the being together part but the he’s-a-different-person-whenever-we’re-alone. Oliver was being a tiny bit less annoying than usual. They were almost getting along, if you could overlook the never ending bickering, they were getting along.

* * *

 

**WEDNESDAY**

Here’s how to ruin a perfectly good Wednesday. It starts by getting called to the principal’s office followed by getting bad news.

“Your mother called, it’s about your father. He’s in the hospital. She didn’t say much other than he’s in the ICU and she asked that you’d go there. Ms. Michaels will go with you.” Lance’s voice faded right after he heard that his father was in the hospital. Ms. Michaels smiled sympathetically at him. 

Ray spent the car ride to the hospital crying and worrying excessively about his father. 30 minutes earlier he’d been a normal kid going about his day as he normally did until he got pulled out of Ethics. And now he stood by his father’s bed in the Starling General’s ICU. A lot can change in 30 minutes.

His father had a heart condition, 3 years ago his father had to have surgery. The doctors put in a pacemaker in order to fix Mr. Palmer’s heart, and now he needed surgery because the device was malfunctioning. Ray’s parents were basically broke, living paycheck to paycheck, and it looked like Mr. Palmer wouldn’t be getting his surgery. Hospital policy said that they had to pay the initial charge of admission in order for Mr. Palmer to get treatment right away. If they didn’t pay they would have to wait until Ray’s father’s condition worsened for the doctors to operate him. They were so broke they didn’t have insurance and couldn’t pay for that initial charge let alone pay for a expensive surgery. 

“Mom, please stop crying we’ll figure out a way to get the money. We’ll figure it out.” Ray pleaded to his mother but she wasn’t having it. She was very upset and stressed . Ray excused himself to go talk to Ms. Michaels. 

“I’m gonna call the school and let them know what’s going on, so you’ll be excused from class for however long this takes, okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks Ms. Michaels.”

* * *

 

Back at the school Quentin Lance stopped by John Diggle’s classroom to inform him as well as Ray’s classmates what had happened. John offered his help and Lance said that he would take him up on that. 

The news hit the teenagers pretty hard. These brats had never experienced anything like this before. Diggle tried to calm them down by doing an exercise in which they had to write letters to their fathers.

“What if I don’t have one?” One girl asked.

“Yeah, what if I have nothing to say, can I write a letter to my mom instead?” Oliver asked.

“Nope. Today we’ll be writing letters to the fathers, we’ll write letters to the mothers another day. Whether or not they are present we all have a father, so write. No one else but me will be reading these, I’ll be grading them solely on orthography not context. So write whatever you feel like, express yourselves!” Diggle said not letting them off the hook. 

Felicity wrote hers in a hurry and excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. She stood outside the classroom texting Ray.

**Felicity M. Smoak: OMG, Ray! Principal Lance just told us what happened. Are you okay?**

**Ray: Yeah. I’m okay just worried about my dad. I don’t think he’s gonna make it, if we don’t come up with the money for the admission the doctors won't operate him, at least until he’s critical.**

**Felicity M. Smoak: I’m so sorry Ray. If there’s anything I can do for you let me know. I mean it Ray, anything.**

**Ray: Thanks, Felicity. I will need notes on whatever I miss from class, I know we don’t take all the same classes together but if you could somehow get them for me I’d appreciate it. I don’t have many friends, aside from you and now my roomies, but I don’t think Tommy or Oliver are responsible enough to take notes in class.**

**Felicity M. Smoak: Of course Ray. I’ll talk to Laurel, I’ll get the notes from her. You’re right not to trust Tommy or Oliver to take notes, I don’t think they own notebooks.**

**LOL.**

**But I’ll take care of it. If you need anything else please let me know.**

**Ray: Thanks. I’ll keep you posted.**

**SHE DEVIL: Come outside!**

**Trainwreck: What for? :@**

**SHE DEVIL: Just meet me by the restrooms!**

Oliver met with Felicity where they agreed, well where she demanded they meet.

Felicity had gone to her room to gather all the cash she had, but only came up with the 300 bucks Oliver had given her. She had more on her bank cards and she could also try her credit cards, those were for emergencies only, but this was an emergency. She tried to get permission from Lance to let her go to the hospital where Ray’s father was but he wouldn’t let her go without written consent from her mother. Felicity called her mother but couldn’t get a hold of her, she left her a voicemail and then texted Oliver.

“I need you to go to Starling General and give this to Ray. He’s in the ICU with his father.” Felicity said as she handed over the money. Oliver seemed confused as to why Felicity would be giving 300 dollars to Ray so she explained the situation. “So will you do it?”

“Yeah. I’ll go talk to Lance, he’ll let me go.”

* * *

 

Oliver arrived at the hospital and met with Ms. Michaels, he asked for Ray and she pointed him towards a closed off room. Ray sat on a chair clutching his father’s hand like he would disappear, and he would if they waited too long for that surgery.

It looked like Ray really loved his father seeing how badly he was hurting right now. Oliver thought back to Diggle’s assignment for that day, about writing letters to their fathers. Oliver left his in blank, he wrote his name at the top of the page. ‘If you got nothing nice to say…’ is what he told John when he handed it in. Oliver imagined that Ray would’ve done differently, would’ve probably written something heartfelt, sincere, loving. Oliver wondered what it must be like to have a trusting and loving father.

Just to get here Oliver had to call his father and ask him (his assistant) to write a note and fax it over to the school so he could go to the hospital to visit a classmate’s father. Robert didn’t believe him so he went personally to the school to sign a permit that allowed him to leave the premises. And of course Robert chose to confront him on the fact that he’d been going to the Youth Center even though he didn’t, legally obliged, have to. Oliver never mentioned that to his father or his mother for that matter.

 

 

 

> _“Where have you been going off to, Oliver? And don’t say The Glades because you and I know that you don’t have to go there anymore. The truth, please. And don’t worry I didn’t rat you out to Lance.”_
> 
> _“I’ve been going to the Youth Center with Felicity. You can ask her yourself if you don’t believe me.”_
> 
> _“Smoak? The wheelchair girl, the one that yelled at me? You two are together? Nice work, son. You’re finally learning, you gotta stand your ground with women, make sure they know where they belong and that you’re above them, like any strong man.”_
> 
> _“…Okay. So are you gonna give me permission to go to the hospital or not?”_
> 
> _“You don’t have to lie to me, son. If you wanna go out with your little girlfriend just say the word, of course I’ll give you permission.”_
> 
> _There’s really no point in trying to reason with Robert, he might as well let his father believe what he wants. “Dad! That’s not- Felicity is not. We’re not… You know what, never mind. Yes. We’re going out, there’s not enough privacy here.”_
> 
> _“Ahhh. That’s my boy! Stay safe, son. Do you need any cash?”_
> 
> _“No, dad. I’m good, just the permit.”_
> 
> _“I knew you had it in you, Oliver. I always knew that girl couldn’t resist the Queen charm. Women find power attractive and we are the most powerful in this city, it was only a matter of time before that girl came crawling back to you.”_

Robert really doesn’t know Felicity like Oliver does, she’s not like other girls, she HATES and is disgusted by abusive powerful figures. Oliver couldn’t picture Felicity crawling back to anyone, she’s too stubborn for that.

Oliver pulled away from his thoughts to finally go and talk to Ray and give him the money Felicity had sent. Ray was very surprised to see him there and quickly dried his eyes and exited the room to go and talk with Oliver. Dr. Bennet, the cardiologist, interrupted the conversation to ask Ray about the money and Oliver jumped in and said that he was there with the money.

“All right then let’s get Mr. Palmer ready for surgery.” Dr. Bennet said and excused himself to go get ready.

Ray couldn’t believe it when Oliver told him that Felicity had sent him there to give him 300 dollars to Ray. They went together to pay for the admission charge, on the way there Ray couldn’t stop blubbering about how much that meant to him.

“Wow, you really love your father. You two must have a great relationship.” Oliver commented. 

“Yeah, the best. He’s my dad and best friend and I don’t know how or if I could live in a world where my dad isn’t alive.”

In just a week and a half Ray had managed to weasel himself into Oliver’s life. They shared a room and all their classes, they’d been classmates for 3 years already and now Oliver noticed him. Ray was a good guy, kept to himself, smart, quiet, and a great roommate. 

“Ray, if you don’t mind I’d like to cover the hospital expenses.”

Ray quickly complained, even though he knew he probably should let Oliver pay. “No, I can’t let you do that. I- I’m not sure that we could ever pay you back.” 

“I want to do this for you there’s not much for me to do anyways I’m pretty much useless but my money isn’t. You and your father, what you two have is rare and special. It’s the kind of relationship I wish I had with my father. We don’t all have great fathers or present fathers, but you do. A couple thousand bucks won’t make a difference to my father but they will to yours.”

“Wow, Oliver. I- I don’t know how to thank you. I mean I do. Thank you-”

“Hey just enjoy what you have with your father.” Oliver extended a hand for Ray to shake but he ignored it and went straight for a hug.

“Thank you.”

“Sure, man.” Oliver pulled back to make sure Ray understood this. “If you need anything let me know, I’ll swipe my father’s credit card. Seriously though, you’re a friend now, Ray.”

“For what it’s worth, Oliver, you’re not useless. You’re a great friend.”

* * *

 

Oliver left the hospital and Ray stayed there with his mother. Mr. Palmer’s surgery was scheduled for first thing the next morning. With nothing else for him to do, Oliver went back to school to meet with Felicity and tell her how it went with Ray. 

Oliver found Felicity waiting for him in the game room. She sat on top of the pool table arms crossed, determination in her eyes.

“Finally! How’s Ray? How’s his dad? Did you give him the money? What did he say? He didn’t accept the money, did he?”

“Seriously. How big are your lungs?!” Oliver exclaimed before he told Felicity what happened.

They talked about Ray and his father. Oliver told her how affected Ray was by the whole situation. They discussed what would’ve happened, how they would’ve reacted if they were in Rays position. Oliver said that he wouldn’t mind, it wouldn’t affect him as badly. Of course he’d care, he’s not heartless but he wouldn’t be brokenhearted like Ray. Felicity made a comment that if Robert were ever to be in a situation like that, that required him to have surgery, Oliver should ask they give his father a brain transplant or a lobotomy. Oliver laughed at that and asked her what would happen if she was in Ray’s position. She said that she probably would be the last to find out if something happened to her father since he lives in the other side of the world. But she wouldn’t know how to react to that. 

Oliver still stood in front of her, their faces were on the same height and she could see past his shoulders. She heard the clacking of the shoes way before she saw her mother enter the game room. Felicity grabbed Oliver by the shoulders and used him as a shield.

“Frack!”

“What?” Oliver went to turn around but she grounded him. 

“What the hell is she doing here now? Agh! It’s my mom. Hide me!” 

She peeked her head over his shoulder and spotted Robert walking right behind Donna. Donna eyed the room and circled back to the door. “She’s leaving…Ah fuck! It’s your dad, I thought he’d left! Don’t turn around.” 

_Left? Since when was he there that she’d think he’d left?_

She stopped him again from turning around. “Quick! Act like I’m your girl and you kiss me. We can’t hide in plain sight but maybe if they see we’re busy they’ll leave.” She reasoned.

“Eww! NO! I’m not kissing you.”

“I’m not asking you to, idiot. Just act like you are. Pretend, it’s nothing we haven’t done before.” Felicity pleaded and pointed out to Oliver, reminding him of when Diggle caught them in the laundry room together.

Oliver got closer and stood between her legs. Felicity kept her hands on his shoulders while Oliver’s rested on either side of her legs on the pool table. Oliver got close to her face, to her lips, so close that he could feel Felicity’s breath on his lips. The eye contact was too intense, too charged, he focused on the freckles that dotted her cheekbones. 

“Umm…that’s good. That’s close enough.”

“Are they watching?” Oliver questioned, playing his part in this charade. He didn’t mind standing so close to her, he was fascinated by her freckles and blue eyes, they were even bluer up close. And that flowery scent she had, he knew it was from her shampoo because he sometimes took a nap in Ethics, whenever she wore her hair down it would slip past her chair and on to his desk and he’d get a whiff of it which it led to him falling asleep in class. 

“I guess, I can’t get a clear view.” Felicity responded.

They made eye contact once more and Oliver couldn’t help himself and closed his eyes. 

And the distance between them.

Even though Felicity wasn’t expecting Oliver to actually kiss her she didn’t really stop it from happening. He started it by grazing the corner of her mouth with his lips and she angled her head so he could kiss her fully on the lips. His hands moved from where they rested on the table up to her shoulder blades and small of her back. She arched into him and he slowly moved his hands up her back to hold her closer. She moved her hands from his shoulders down to his neck and chest. She tangled her right hand on his tie and her left hand moved up to his jaw, holding him prisoner to her lips.

Kissing Oliver was so different from kissing Max. This kiss had heat, passion. It was also natural, like this was meant to happen, it wasn’t weird or awkward. There was no second guessing about their actions. It was good, very good. His lips were soft like pillow mountains and she just discovered that mole on the corner of his lower lip. 

They kissed alternating between who got to kiss the top or bottom lip. They were just about to invite their tongues to the party when the clearing of a throat pulled them apart.

“We’re sorry to interrupt.” Donna cleared her throat again from a few steps away and walked over with Robert, “got something in stuck in my throat.”

“Oh, please don’t kid yourself, mom. You did that on purpose. But it’s okay. It was only a matter of time before you found out.” Felicity said and took a hold of Oliver’s hand.

“Found out about what?” Donna eyed Felicity up and down and stopped where her daughter had her hand enveloped by Oliver’s. 

“Me and Ollie, here, we’re together now.” Felicity smiled at her mother and Oliver jumped up and sat on the table alongside Felicity, their joined hands rested on his lap.

“And here I was worried about you because of that voicemail you left me. You said something about a hospital but you look like you’re okay.” Donna squinted her eyes at Oliver as if to break him. “With your little boyfriend here.”

Oliver smiled smugly and pulled his hand from Felicity’s and slung his arm around her shoulder. “Who can’t seem to keep his hands to himself.” Donna commented on the movement. 

Robert smiled proudly. “Well, isn’t it nice how our kids grow up, Donna?”

Apparently their parents had gotten acquainted with one another while they made out. Donna muttered a ‘yeah’ before getting back to questioning her daughter. “Wait, last I heard you hated him.”

Felicity laughed like what her mother said was absurd. “Mom, please. We’re like the biggest cliché ever. Look at us! Tall and small, older and younger, cats and dogs. It was meant to be and we saw that once we finally stopped fighting. Isn’t that right, Oliver?” Felicity nudged him with her elbow.

Oliver felt an insistent pressure on his ribs, Felicity’s elbow. He hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation, he zoned out when Felicity said they were the biggest cliché ever. To be safe he nodded his head and agreed with whatever she’d said. 

Felicity got down from the pool table and excused herself and her mother, they had a conversation pending. Before she could leave Oliver pulled her back by her elbow to whisper something in her ear.

“Oliver, have some manners! Kiss your girl goodbye.” Robert scolded Oliver.

Oliver rolled his eyes and said goodbye to Felicity by placing a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. She left with Donna after that leaving Oliver to deal with his father.

“Good job, son. I thought you were deceiving me earlier because I saw you leave alone.”

This man! Seriously?! He’s so untrusting and Oliver’s had enough for one day. “Is that all, cause I’ve got things to do.” He all but growled at his father. 

“That’ll be all. I have a meeting to get to. See you, son.” Robert moved to pat his son on the back. “I’m proud of you Oliver.”

Oliver rolled his eyes as soon as Robert turned to walk out the door. He hated that Robert was proud of him for ‘getting together’ with Felicity. His father saw it as Oliver controlling Felicity, like Robert controlled Moira, it disgusted Oliver. He went to wait for Felicity in the secret room like he’d told her he would when he whispered in her ear.

Oliver grabbed his guitar and started strumming chords randomly. Felicity had suggested they’d tried some original songs but he’d never actually written a song before. He’d taken a songwriting class but he could never write anything good. Except now he’d struck those chords and it sounded good so he wrote them down. The combination of the chords was good it just needed some actual lyrics. Nothing came to him. He sighed and gave up. Rome wasn’t built in a day. 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 20

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so next chapter begins with scenes that happened during this chapter but didn't make the cut (Lyla and Diggle), (Robert and Felicity), (Oliver and Felicity).  
> Oliver and Felicity's singing partnership gets the attention of an important someone, Nyssa finds out what's in the box.


	21. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Partnerships.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I want to apologize for not being able to update sooner. I started working again and I basically only have time to sleep so chapters will take longer to write and to post. In exchange I'll make them longer and I'll speed up the plot because I can't take it anymore. It's about damn time we've dealt with The League. I'm gonna go ahead and call this a filler chapter. I'm posting it to not leave you hanging, exciting stuff is coming up tho.   
> IMPORTANT:  
> This chapter contains a song that Oliver "wrote". I didn't write it. I used a song from the band that came from the (mexican remake) of the telenovela this story is based on. If you wanna look it up it's called I Wanna Be The Rain by RBD.   
> I hope you like this chapter.

**WEDNESDAY :**

Lyla Michaels had been grading papers on her free period in the teachers’ lounge when Mr. Lance’s secretary came barging in requesting she’d go see the principal. Quentin asked her to escort Ray Palmer down to Starling General where his father was in the intensive care unit. The request didn’t sit well with her. 

Lyla Michaels did not like blurring the lines, she liked to keep things professional in the workplace. She always avoided getting to know her students and co-workers in a more personal aspect. There was no big reason behind it other than that’s the way she liked it. Keeping things separate guaranteed no messes or misunderstandings. But since this was an emergency, a special situation, she set aside her reservations and did as she was told. 

Her heart broke the moment Quentin gave the news to Ray. The poor kid broke down in the car and she couldn’t find any words to console him, you’d think they would come naturally but not to her. She did all she could think of, offered him to update Lance on the situation so Ray would be excused from class until further notice, that seemed to calm him down a bit. 

Then Oliver Queen showed up. Out of all his classmates Oliver was the last one she’d expect to show up. Apparently Ray didn’t have any other relatives, other than his parents. Oliver left pretty quickly, he didn’t stay for more than an hour. 

Lyla decided to stay a while longer so Ray wouldn’t be alone. 

About 30 minutes after Oliver left John Diggle showed up. He came with his hands full. A tray full of coffees and sodas and a bag from Big Belly Burger. This is why Lyla sometimes felt like a horrible human being. She thought she was being helpful or supportive by not leaving Ray alone in the hospital. It never occurred to her to go and pick something to eat or drink for Ray and his mom. John walked by briefly saying hello and went straight to the ICU while she stayed in the waiting room. 

Lyla observed her surroundings, families some happy others not so much, it made her feel out of place. John interrupted her train of thought, they catched up on how Ray was dealing with the situation and how the rest of the day unfolded back at school, some one had to sub for her. John was the one to substitute her senior history class while she stayed in the hospital. Lyla also mentioned Oliver’s appearance and Diggle was pleasantly surprised and to some degree proud.

“Why history?”

Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“Out of all the subjects to teach, why teach history? Seems kind of boring to me, no offense.” Digg said scratching at the back of his neck.

Lyla chuckled. Oh the irony! “You’re one to talk Mr. Ethics and Philosophy. _I_ happen to _like_ history.” Digg’s eyebrows shot up surprised by her teasing tone. “Really. I’m a firm believer of the whole those-who-don’t-know-their-history-are-bound-to-repeat-it thing.” She explained.

Diggle nodded in agreement.

“John-” 

His hand came up to halt her mid-sentence, “You can call me Johnny.” 

“Okay…Johnny.” He smiled at her using that old nickname he used to go by. “Why are you here? Here, as in the hospital.”

John was taken aback by the question. He didn’t think about his actions, he went by instinct and what his gut told him was right. “Well, I thought Ray might need some support. I know he doesn’t have that many friends, or family for that matter. I would’ve been here earlier but I had to take over your class.”

“Why do you know so much about Ray? Do you know all your students like that?”

“I do.” He asserted with his head. “I make it a habit to get to know my students-” He was cut short by another question from Lyla.

“Why?” She asked then apologized for giving him the third degree. 

John eyed her carefully analyzing her. “You’ve never worked at a boarding school before, have you?”

Lyla shook her head.

“I have. And let me tell you about a thing or two I’ve learned.” Diggle said. He explained that boarding school students are really different than others simply because they literally live in the school. They have different needs, like the need to feel loved and cared for. But how can they feel that when their parents don’t spend time with them. This made the kids act out to get the attention of their parents, much like the kids at EWS. They were always up to no good, and inevitably getting in trouble or starting fights, and when no one came to their aid it resulted in more trouble and heartache. 

This was something John Diggle had witnessed first hand. It was one of his students, back at Coast City where he used to live. The poor kid, Floyd was his name, he had been getting into fights at school but his parents dismissed his behavior because ‘boys will be boys’. So one day Floyd skipped school and went for a drink, illegally of course,  with an illegally borrowed car too and had a horrible accident. He killed a family of 3. Floyd hit rock bottom and John was there to help him get back up.

Diggle felt a responsibility to care for his students. He explained to Lyla that they were essentially second parents to their students and should act as so. They needed guidance, someone to trust. And _that_ is why Diggle got to know his students. 

“So that way if something happens and they need someone to trust they’ll seek a friend in you and you’ll be there to help them.”

Diggle’s argument made sense. She may not agree with it but his testimony managed to convince her that he had a point. She’d seen the kids at EWS, they were ticking time bombs and now thanks to Johnny she felt that responsibility he talked about that she didn’t feel before he pointed it out.

* * *

 

Felicity was getting her English literature book from her locker when she got an unexpected visitor.

“Ah, Ms. Smoak.” The voice came from behind her. She turned around and was met with the man that was basically garbage with legs.

“Mr. Queen, wish I could say I’m pleased to see you but my mother taught me not to lie. And I have to get to class.” She said while shutting her locker indicating that the unwanted conversation was over.

Robert stopped her. “Don’t worry I won’t keep you too long. I just found out you’re finally going out with my son. Congratulations.” He said with an honest smile. That threw her off.

What the hell was going on? Yes, she was going out with Oliver, going out as in leaving the school grounds together not anything else. Did Robert think that she was dating Oliver? 

Impossible. 

“Okay…” She shrugged her shoulders while internally trying to shake off the confusion this brought up in her.

“Well by all means go out, have fun-”

“But?” She interrupted.

“But stay safe.” Robert finished his comment.

Okay, that pretty much confirms it. Robert really thinks Oliver and Felicity are going out. But what is this man trying to imply? “I’m sorry. What?”

“You know what I mean. Don’t you dare try to tie Oliver up by getting pregnant.”

OH HELL NO! He did not just say that to her! Forget dating, this man thinks that his son and her are sexually active.

“I’m not gonna take care of a bastard child.” He continued on.

It’s no surprise that the man that’s walking garbage would say something like this and indirectly accuse her of being a gold digger. He is a horrible person and the fact that he’s such an exemplary man to the people of Starling City infuriates her. “How very nice of you, Mr. Queen. Tell, do you always give Oliver’s girlfriends such encouraging words of advice?”

“It is my duty as a parent. To protect my son.” He answered ever so coolly. 

“To protect or destroy him?” She asked fire coursing through her veins. Thank god the bell rang otherwise she would’ve said some very offensive things to him. She muttered that he made her nauseous and walked past him to get to class.

Felicity had to calm down and breathe to internalize and process what just happened. First of all, Robert was under the impression that Oliver and her were going out. Second, she let Robert believe that they were, because she didn’t deny it, and third he sort of accused her of being a gold digger by advising her against getting pregnant.

Felicity is going to have an interesting talk with Oliver when he gets back from the hospital.

* * *

 

Felicity was dead set on ripping his head off. Sadly she didn’t get the chance to because they started talking about Ray. Then came the interruption.

_And that kiss._

And then she had to deal with her intrusive mother.

Felicity went to the parents’ room with Donna so she could explain the misunderstanding. Felicity’s voicemail left her mom frantic, and she understood how the message could’ve frightened her just like it had happened when Felicity was hit by that car. Her mother’s worry was understandable after all the accident didn’t just happen to Felicity it also affected her family, Donna more than Noah since she was the one to receive the phone call that her daughter had been hit by a car. In the end Donna wound up being even more meddling, attentive and more protective of her, it also made her even more of a drama queen which Felicity hated. 

Felicity managed to get rid of her mother within 30 minutes successfully avoiding discussing her  ‘relationship’ with Oliver. That was something short of a miracle. 

Unsure of how to confront him, Felicity headed for the secret room where they’d agreed to meet. Once she saw him there playing his guitar and humming something under his breath, the memory of his lips on hers flashed before her eyes. And then there was Robert’s face and all the rage that had vanished came back in full force. She walked down the steps and took a seat beside him on the couch and announced that they had to talk.

“Hmm…I was working on a song…but that’s clearly not going anywhere.” He grumbled.

Felicity went straight to the point, not wanting to get side tracked like earlier that day. “Why does your father think we’re going out?”

Oliver considered if he should even answer that question, it sounded pretty rhetorical to him considering that she’d been the one to say to both their parents that they were together not 30 minutes ago. “Because you said so in front of him?” He guessed.

She took a deep calming breath.

_One. Two. Three._

_Good_. “No, your father already knew by then. He didn’t even react, he just stood there smiling like the creep he is, unlike my mother who was shocked to see me with you. And let’s be real, she thinks I’ve lost my mind because she knows me and she knows I would never in a million years date someone like you.”

Oliver feigned hurt bringing a hand over his cold heart. “Ouch. Fine. I sort of let my father believe that we were skipping school to ‘get some privacy’.” Oliver saw Felicity get angrier, he’d learned to read her and now could recognize her getting pissed so he explained. “He wouldn’t give me the permit to leave school unless I told him where I was planning to go.” He brought up his hand to silence her before she could interrupt him. “And before you say anything, I did tell him the truth. I told him I was going to Starling General he just didn’t believe me. Then he asked about you and implied that our ‘afterschool escapades’ were more than us going to The Glades, which by the way I tried telling him the truth too. So I just let him believe what he wanted to, it was the only way. For some weird reason he seems to like you.” He paused for a second to see if she had anything to say, when she didn’t he continued. “And just to be clear I only kissed you to convince my father. Nothing else.”

“Okay.” Felicity nodded her head unsure of how to feel about that.

“But I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to pretend to be dating.” He added.

“Wow, talk about commitment issues. Are you so scared of a fake relationship?” She said teasingly. Felicity thought about the implications that came with ‘dating’ Oliver. Unfortunately the pros outweighed the cons. “Wait, why don’t _you_ think it’s a good idea? Seems like a win-win situation if you asked me…”

“Why don’t you tell your mom we broke up and I’ll tell my dad too.” He bargained ignoring her previous comments.

“Why the hurry?”

“Because! I don’t want people to find out about this.” He said signaling between them.

“Hold on one second, _Blondie_! I lie for you, let you kiss me in front of both our parents, make them believe we’re together and you’re ashamed of me?! _ME?!_ You’d be considered privileged, well over-privileged.” She got up from the couch and paced while ranting and adding, “And you’re not even a good kisser!” She said fully aware that in fact the kiss itself was really good. 

Oliver scoffed, “Oh please! Get your head down from the clouds. You _know_ you’re dying to be with me!” He said and pulled her down to sit of the couch again.

“Of course I am. Dying would be the only way you’d ever get a girl like me.” She said slapping his hand away from where it rested on her elbow. “Don’t you see that this could benefit you? It’s a great cover for whenever we have to go out to perform at Verdant.”

“Maybe.” He muttered, considering this.

“No, not maybe, that’s the way it is. I’m right as usual. Besides, your father likes me, he must want you to liven up a little. Get some balls like me. Not that you don’t have, though I wouldn’t know… and I don’t have balls. I have a vagina with ovaries, steel ovaries. And boobs, though they’re rather small…3,2,1. Cause I’m a strong young woman!” She said ending that cringe worthy ramble. 

Oliver tried not to let his amusement show, she was so wrong on so many levels but he didn’t mention any of that to avoid going into details. She seriously thought his father wanted him to be more like her? Her? With these rambles? If Robert could see her now, he thought. He had the decency not to laugh at her face before asking her, “What do you get out from this? Because I highly doubt that you’re doing this out of the fondness of your heart.”

“Well for starters I’d get my mom off my back. Turns out she’s trying to get her show to come here to Starling, so she’d be staying indefinitely. And that means she’ll be around all the time hovering over me, is that not reason enough?” Before Oliver could give her question an answer she provided one. “You know what, I can do this with anyone else. I don’t need you for this.” She declared jumping up from the couch to leave the room.

Oliver grabbed her elbow again, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’ll do it. I mean we’re already partners. On stage.” 

* * *

 

That night Oliver tossed and turned so much that Tommy grumbled in his sleep for him to settle down. He thought about that song he started to write but got derailed by thinking of Felicity. He replayed the kiss in his head. How he couldn’t stop himself from kissing her, in the moment it didn’t mean anything to him but the more he thought about it and analyzed it the more he concluded that it wasn’t all that innocent.

From the moment his lips grazed the corner of her mouth he knew he wanted more and it was her who granted him access. She kissed with the same ferocity and fierceness she conducted herself. Kissing her felt like fireworks going off, explosive and breathtaking. There was no way that Felicity thought he was a bad kisser, judging from the way she kissed him, she was savoring it. She hummed a little very quietly, he almost didn’t catch it but he heard and felt it in her breathing pattern when it faltered. 

The way she moved beneath him, how her hands traveled from his neck to his chest clinging to him, never letting him go made him want more. 

More of _her_.

_He_ wanted more of her.

_He wanted to be more to her._

With that last thought came a surge of inspiration. Words started running through his mind. He grabbed a pen and paper and wrote it down. Before he knew it he had written his first song: I wanna be the rain. 

* * *

 

**THURSDAY:**

It’s been too long. Way too long since the doctors took his father to the operation room. Ray’s been pacing back and forth the length of the room while his mother cried inconsolably. Why were they taking so long?!

“Oh god! He died didn’t he?” Ray’s mom cried when Dr. Bennet showed up.

“There were some complications.” Dr. Bennet started.

That’s all Ray heard before he fainted, that and his mother’s cries.

* * *

 

Disabling the cameras was the easiest part, distracting the security guard from the school’s parking lot however that was difficult. But Felicity distracted the man because she needed Oliver’s help to sneak out of school. 

She needed not to be there. She could’ve snuck out by herself but she didn’t want to be alone. Neither Sara or Laurel would’ve snuck out with her and Nyssa wasn’t even an option because of The League. That only left Oliver and he didn’t even ask where they were going or why they were skipping class. He just said ‘okay’ when she told him they needed to get out of school. 

They managed to get away successfully unseen. They drove around the city until Felicity asked they’d stop at the train station. 

“You’re not skipping town are you?” Oliver asked when they approached the window and Felicity asked for two tickets to Central City. She handed one to him and said that she wasn’t skipping town. 

The train was scheduled to leave in five minutes so they sat by the platform waiting until it was time to board the train. Once inside Felicity took the window seat and Oliver took the aisle. When he sat down Felicity noticed he’d dropped something. She picked it up.

**I wanna be the rain.**

_It's not enough to be the one who holds you_

_It's not enough to be the one your close to_

_I want to be so much more_

_The love that your living for_

_The air you breathe_

_I wanna be everything that touches you everything_

 

Oliver had written a song?

She continued reading while correcting his grammatical errors. The song was surprisingly good.

_[Chorus:]_

_I wanna be the rain that falls on you_

_Washes away the pain_

_I wanna be the sun that shines on you_

_Warms your world each day_

_I wanna be the sky that holds the stars for you_

_So you never lose your way_

_I wanna be the wind that kisses your face_

_I wanna be the rain_

 

_It's not enough for me to be around you_

_I wanna be everything that surrounds you_

_The sun to light up on your skin_

_Each breath that your breathing in_

_Or that you need_

_I wanna be everything that touches you everything_

 

_[Chorus:]_

_I wanna be the rain that falls on you_

_Washes away the pain_

_I wanna be the sun that shines on you_

_Warms your world each day_

_I wanna be the sky that holds the stars for you_

_So you never lose your way_

_I wanna be the wind that kisses your face_

_I wanna be the rain_

 

_And even in your sleep_

_when you’re dreaming_

_I wanna be the only thing you see_

_won't you be there in everything_

 

_[Chorus:]_

_I wanna be the rain that falls on you_

_Washes away the pain_

_I wanna be the sun that shines on you_

_Warms your world each day_

_I wanna be the sky that holds the stars for you_

_So you never lose your way_

_I wanna be the wind that kisses your face_

_I wanna be the rain_

_I wanna be the rain_

“This is really good! You actually wrote this?” She asked handing him back his song.

“Hey! How’d you get this?!” He demanded grabbing the scribbled piece of paper, almost tearing it apart in the process of retrieving it. 

“You dropped it.”

“Oh…”

“So,” Felicity nudged him with her elbow, “Did you write that?”

“Yeah, I wrote that. You really think it’s good?”

“Yeah, I corrected some things, tweaked it a little but yeah it’s pretty amazing. Unexpected.”

Oliver changed topics because Felicity had the habit of asking one too many questions. He asked her why she wanted to cut school, she was a text book nerd and he couldn’t believe that she would want to cut class. Felicity said it was because of Mrs. White and her mom. She explained that Mrs. White had said something offensive to one of the guys in her class, it was about his physical appearance and Felicity couldn’t stand it. She said something along the lines of ‘don’t you own any mirrors’ and Mrs. White said she’d give a written warning to Felicity, which she refused to sign because Mrs. White should be the one apprehended. 

“So how does your mom fit into this?” Oliver asked.

“I know that what I did was right but Lance still called my mother. She didn’t want to hear my side of the story. Mom told me to do what Lance said and apologize to that crazy old woman. After fighting on it with my mom I conceded and said I’d apologize in public to Mrs. White.”

Wow. Felicity continued to impress him. She had guts, he had to admit that she was kind of fearless in a sense. Somehow she always found a cause to fight for. “So you’re going back on your word, you’re not actually going to apologize to Mrs. White?”

Felicity gasped. “Never! I’d never go back on my word.” 

Oliver thought so. She’s far too stubborn to go against herself.

Total opposite of Oliver.

“I’ll do it, just not today. And I’m only doing it to prove a point to my mom. I asked her if that’s the kind of person she wants me to be. A follower.”

Oliver smiled. The idea sounded absolutely ridiculous. If anything Felicity was a rebellious leader, a fighter. _Huh_. Oliver wondered when he’d noticed those things about her.

“So what about you?”

“What about me?” He asked.

Felicity shifted in her seat, sitting sideways facing him bringing her legs up to her chest. She placed her arms on top of her knees and rested her chin there. “Why were you so eager to cut school with me? I know I’m not your favorite person.”

Thank god she had worn jeans with her uniform that day instead of the skirt she usually wore, otherwise he would’ve gotten a good look at her boy shorts again. He turned in his seat too, facing her. “Don’t flatter yourself, Smoak. You’re not my _least_ favorite either.” He teased. “I honestly want to get in trouble. Enough to get my dad so pissed that he’ll have to ground me, that way I won’t have to suffer through another campaign event this weekend. The family drama has reached new heights, it’s unbearable. It was either this or picking a fight at school.”

“Hmm…you should’ve kicked Max’s ass.” Felicity said joking.

“I still could, you know.”

“For me?” She teased.

“No. Just to cover my bases, make sure I get grounded.” Oliver quickly clarified. “Anyways, where are we going?” 

Felicity made a frustrated groaning sound. “You seriously are so…gah! You know what, I’m not telling you. Let’s let it be a surprise.”

“Okay, deal.” He agreed. “What else can we talk about?”

Felicity ran a quick search through her mind. Aha! “I’ve been meaning to ask you about the songs you’ve recorded.”

“What about them?”

“They’re studio quality good. I doubt you actually spent money on going to a studio and risk your father finding out. How’d you do it?”

“Wow, you’ve put some thought into this.” Oliver remarked.

“Mysteries bug me.” She poked him with her index finger prodding an answer out of him.

“You’re right, I didn’t pay for a studio. I went there for free. My older cousin Ronnie, he works at a recording studio so I went with him, after hours.” 

They talked about Ronnie and the studio. Felicity asked if he could get his cousin to let them record a song together. Oliver said he’d talk to his cousin and find out but probably Ronnie could make it happen.

* * *

 

When he woke up again there was a steady beeping sound coming from a machine. Ray looked around and noticed he was sitting on a chair, he also noted that he wasn’t the one hooked up to a machine. Ray scanned the room and found his mother sitting on another chair beside the bed. The bed! It wasn’t empty. His father had made it through the surgery. 

Thank god!

“Dad?”

“Hey there, son.” His father answered groggily.

Ray’s eyes watered, he was so happy to have his father alive. That second where he thought his father had died was horrible. But he was okay, everything was fine.

**Ray: My dad made it through the surgery. Thanks to you and Oliver. I won’t ever stop thanking you guys.**

**Felicity M. Smoak: :D That’s amazing Ray! You don’t have to thank us. We’re your friends.**

**Ray: Thanks anyways.**

* * *

 

The second they stepped of the train, Felicity blindfolded Oliver with his tie and made him put on his headphones and listen to music. He couldn’t see anything or hear anything that might clue him to where she was taking him.

Central City Prep was similar to EWS only the whole environment felt less controlled. It had way more open spaces and it seemed like a happier place. The sun was shinning, birds were chirping, the whole scene was very painteresque. 

Oliver wondered where they were. After the train they’d gotten on to another moving vehicle and from there they walked around for a bit too. Now they’d taken a seat. Felicity had let him take out his headphones but still had him wearing the blindfold. 

“OLLIE!!” 

The blindfold came off in a hurry and he saw his little sister run into his arms.

“Speedy!” He said crouching down to her height to put his arms around her. She hugged him so tightly he thought her boney arms would break. Oliver had missed his sister so much. It’d been months since they’d seen each other. “Hey Speedy, how’ve you been?” He pulled away to take in her appearance. 

“Okay. I miss you.” She hugged him again burying her face into his neck. “Ollie, who’s that girl?”

Oliver had forgotten about Felicity. He pulled away from his sister and turned to face Felicity waving her over. “Speedy, this is…Felicity. She’s my…umm…” _Friend? Should he introduce her as his girlfriend? Classmate? Partner? There was no label for her._ “My Felicity. Felicity this is my sister Thea.”

“Hi Thea, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Felicity extended her hand.

Thea took her hand and shook it. “Felicity, that’s a pretty name.” 

They took Thea out for a burger. They spent the afternoon hanging out in the park having fun. Felicity had never seen Oliver smile so much or be so happy. Coming to think of it she’d never seen him happy. He was different around his sister, gentler, wittier. This was a side of Oliver she’d never seen before. This Oliver should be around more often. 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 21

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upcoming: Ronnie, the blonde from Verdant, The League.


	22. What's in the box?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyssa hears from The League. Felicity pushes Oliver over the edge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh. I hate inconsistency. I regret to inform you that I don't have a posting schedule. I wish I had though. I'm writting and updating on my days off from work and it's a challenge. Enjoy this chapter, I know I did, especially after last week's episode D:  
> P.S. There's a bonus scene at the end of this chapter. :D Enjoy! Please comment!

**THURSDAY:**

“What do you mean you don’t know where my son is?!” Robert questioned while pacing in Quentin’s office. “We invest in this school and you can’t even handle the kids. This is your responsibility! What do you think will happen, how do you think the people of Starling are going to react when they find out that I can’t even handle my own son, how are they supposed to trust me to run this city?” There goes Robert making things about himself and his stupid political career instead of focusing on his son who is equally or more important.

_Maybe_ _they shouldn’t,_ Lance thought to himself. 

“I-I’m sorry Mr. Queen. We’re working on it. This rarely ever happens anymore, not since we improved security.”

* * *

 

Lance’s secretary barged into the room. “Sir, they’re here!”

Lance excused himself to go and deal with Oliver and Felicity. They had apparently snuck out of school during lunch, it was Mr. Diggle who’d noticed when he passed the attendance sheet in his class. Normally the punishment for cutting class or escaping from school varied from written warnings to suspension or expulsion, depending on the student’s record.

Lance’s secretary told them to wait there while she fetched Mr. Lance. Lance appeared and behind him came Robert. And Donna. Oliver took a hold of Felicity’s hand while they got lectured by all of the three adults. Donna was mostly worried that something bad could’ve happened to her daughter, but Oliver being with Felicity eased her worries a little bit. Robert was not pissed like Oliver expected him to be.  And Lance was surprisingly calm, he didn’t even punish them, but that was probably because of Robert being there. 

Felicity let go from Oliver’s hand to go talk to her mother, who completely disapproved of her sudden behavior. Felicity stood behind Robert making gestures at Oliver while his father talked to him.

“Son, if all you wanted was some time to be with your girl outside of school all you had to do was ask. I would’ve talked to Lance to let you guys out and I would’ve had a car come pick you up.”

Felicity made a gesture with her hands, pointing her index finger onto the palm of her hand while mouthing to Oliver. “I’ve got him like this: eating from the palm of my hand.” Oliver snickered and Robert turned around and found her standing there. 

“Oliver! You should’ve talked with your father before suggesting we skipped school.” She exclaimed throwing him under the bus even though skipping school was her idea. “I’m sorry, Mr. Queen. I assure you this won’t happen again.”

“Felicity Megan Smoak!” Donna said while tapping her high heeled foot.

Felicity excused herself to go and deal with her mother.

“Mom, why are you here?” Felicity asked while they walked over to the dining hall to sit and chat.

“Quentin told me about your escapade with that boy. I thought I told you to avoid getting into trouble, and that boy... he’ll break your heart.”

“Cutting school was my idea.” Felicity said while rolling her eyes at her mother’s disapproving tone. “And no he won’t.” If only her mom knew that it was far from it, Oliver and Felicity could tolerate each other at best. “If you’re done with the responsible parent act I have some homework to do.” She added before getting up from her chair.

Donna stopped her. “Hon, you should be a little more grateful. Thank god Quentin is an old friend, otherwise he would’ve suspended you.”

“And he wouldn’t have to if you believed me.” Felicity spat back. And before Donna could say anything else Felicity explained. “You say you care, if you do you’ll look into Mrs. White then you’ll understand why I did what I did. And me cutting school, just in case you don’t get the gist, is not about Oliver. It’s about _me_ teaching _you_ a lesson.” And with that Felicity left her mom sitting alone.

Felicity headed to her room only to come to face with the ever curious and questioning Laurel and Sara Lance. 

“What’s going on with you and Oliver?” Laurel asked.

“Yeah, you two have been buddy-buddy since the Halloween dance.” Sara noted.

“Mhmm! And don’t say nothing because we totally saw you guys talking and then you disappeared and he followed.” Laurel said.

That’s not how Felicity remembers that night, so she sets her friends straight. She tells them that she and Oliver have been hanging out together in order to avoid The League, like they had agreed to. Laurel questioned why they’d skipped school together that day.

“It’s nothing. I wanted out of here and he was the only way. Besides we didn’t even do anything exciting. He didn’t even care where we went, for a while there we just drove around the city.” Felicity explained. “Although, I did surprise Oliver when I bought some train tickets to Central City and popped by his sister’s school. The idiot had no clue where in Central City we were going.” She smiled proudly by her idea to take Oliver to see his sister.

“And that was all your idea?” Laurel asked. “The surprising him with his sister?”

Felicity nodded her head.

“That’s a very thoughtful gesture you did there, for a guy you ‘hate’.” Sara grumbled.

Sara’s tone completely threw Felicity off. What did she mean by that? And where was this coming from?

Laurel thought her sister had a point. Oliver and Felicity were spending a lot of time together. “Felicity…please remember what I told you the first time you asked me about Oliver.” Laurel warned.

The first time Felicity asked about Oliver Laurel told her that he was a party boy, not boyfriend material, not a guy to be interested in. “That’s not happening.” Felicity assured her friend and dropped the subject.

Felicity is not interested in Oliver like that.

* * *

 

**FRIDAY:**

Diggle was walking around the classroom while giving the lesson on philosophy, comparing different points of view like Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, and libertarianism. It was pretty boring which is why Felicity decided to text Oliver.

There was a persistent buzzing coming from his blazer pocket. When he finally checked his phone he had 4 texts from Felicity.

**I’m bored. :\**

**We still on for tonight right?**

**Btw, we should try that original.**

**Did you talk to Ronnie?**

 

She couldn’t shut up even via text. Not that he wanted her to, it was just and observation.

**Me too.**

**Yes.**

**I’m not sure about that.**

**And yes, it’s set up for next week.**

“What’s next week?” Diggle asked peering into his phone over his shoulder. “And who’s She Devil?”

Oh no!

Diggle had noticed Oliver was texting.

“Come on, Oliver. Enlighten us, seems this conversation is more interesting than my class.” Digg said taking Oliver’s cellphone from his grip. 

Oliver couldn’t tell the truth without explaining that he and Felicity were a duo that sang at Verdant. He scratched the back of his neck and gulped before answering Diggle’s question.

“A date. With Felicity. AKA She Devil.” Oliver avoided looking at  Diggle’s knowing smirk, he focused on the back of Felicity’s head which she dropped to her desk. Out of the corner of his eye Oliver could see Tommy looking amusedly confused. 

Felicity whipped her head around and glared at him, “So much for not wanting people to find out!”

Diggle chuckled, “See, I told you, you guys didn’t know enough about each other to hate one another. Congrats to the new couple.” He said shaking Felicity’s shoulder as he walked back to his desk.

Felicity groaned in response and avoided Laurel’s disapproving glare. She would clear this up later. She couldn’t have her friends thinking she’s lying to them. 

* * *

 

Later that day at Verdant, Felicity noticed Oliver got a lot of phone calls, she didn’t see from who and all Oliver said was ‘I’m not putting her on the phone.’ Eventually Felicity got tired from all the interruptions. So when Oliver’s phone rang again she took it from him.

“Tommy, stop calling! Oliver invited me to stay over but you keep interrupting our alone time.” Oliver took his phone back before she could say more. He hung up and finished setting up his guitar.  

Felicity insisted that Oliver performed his new song. Although he wasn’t one hundred percent sure about it, he gave in and sung it. And people loved it. 

This was the first time Oliver sang by himself on stage. It was exhilarating. 

Oliver and Felicity were gathering their belongings and getting ready to leave when Felicity got a text from Sara saying that Nyssa had news about The League. They agreed to meet in the secret room as soon as she and Oliver got back to school.

* * *

 

They met in the secret room. Everyone was there, Sara, Laurel, Felicity, Oliver and Nyssa. Nyssa began by explaining what happened that Friday night. 

“They asked to meet, said that they had something important to say. They assigned me to be the sophomore year care-taker after I burned Felicity’s locker. The point is that I can contact both the junior and senior care-takers. And I know what’s in the box.”

“What’s a care-taker?” Sara asked concerned about what her friend was getting into.

“I’m basically a double agent. I’m not fully in The League yet, though. I’m supposed to spy on our year’s scholarship classmates and report back to the other care-takers, whose identities still remain unknown.” Nyssa explained.

“Skip to the part where you know about the box.” Oliver commanded, anxious to know more about the box that was sitting in his closet back at his mansion.

Nyssa nodded and resumed her explanation. The League met to discuss how to deal with the missing box. Nyssa asked what was so special about it that they worried so much. It turns out that they kept records on The League’s members, past members and current. 

“Wait, you mean that there’s proof of who’s in The League? Actual written proof?!” Laurel asked.

“Impossible. I’ve seen what’s in the box. It’s just a bunch of blank papers.” Felicity commented.

“I don’t know, that’s what they said. But anyways, the box won’t help us. The senior care-taker is safe guarding this year’s record. They’re paranoid, turns out we’re not the first ones to try to dismantle The League from the inside.” Nyssa said.

“All the more reason to give up on this nonsense.” Sara spoke up again.

“So, technically, all we need is to figure out who is the senior care-taker and get The League’s records from him or her, right?” Felicity remarked.

Nyssa nodded in agreement. “Him. It’s definitely a guy, that much I know.”

They had their work cut out for them. EWS only had 18 students per class, that meant that there were 9 girls and 9 boys in each class. And they knew that from the senior class they could narrow it down to 7 possible suspects.

Sebastian Blood

Charlie Dixon

Sam Dixon

Max Fuller

Kyle Lahey

Tommy Merlyn

~~Ray Palmer~~

Kevin Peterson

~~Oliver Queen~~  

* * *

 

Nyssa, Sara and Laurel walked out first from the secret room just to be sure Nyssa and Felicity weren’t seen together. 

Oliver walked Felicity back to her room. 

“I didn’t mean to say what I said today in Ethics.” He started and Felicity stopped walking and turned to glare at him. “In my defense, it’s all your fault. You were the one texting me!”

“You’re the one who got caught.” She pointed out.

“Touché.” Oliver chuckled. They really couldn’t go a day without bickering with each other.

“Oliver-” “Felicity-” They started at the same time. Felicity insisted he’d go first.

Oliver asked her to go with him to his father’s last campaign event on Saturday. Felicity said yes which surprised him. She shrugged her shoulders and said that she owed him for helping her skip school. He thought that they were even when she took him to visit his little sister. 

“What were you going to say earlier?” Oliver asked when they got to the girls’ dorm wing. 

“When are you going to step up and face your father?” This, she knew, took him by surprise. “I know it was him on the phone and not Tommy. You gotta stand your ground, make him respect you. Because you can’t live your life trying to please him.”

Oliver had no answer for Felicity. He shoved his hands into his pockets, “Goodnight.”

She looked disappointed as they parted and she headed back to her room. 

Felicity thought Oliver was wasting his potential by trying to please his father. He should put up a fight and do as he pleases. When Felicity entered her room she was jumped by Sara.

“Laurel said you and Oliver are dating. He said so in front of the whole class, and you said something about it being a secret?”

Felicity sighed. “I swear we’re not. Well not for reals anyway.”

Sara looked exasperated. Were they or were they not dating?! She needed to know. 

“We told our parents we are.” Felicity took a seat on her bed before explaining. She told them about how this could benefit the both of them, especially now with them singing at Verdant and Felicity’s mom living indefinitely in Starling. 

“It’s just a cover.” Felicity assured them and dropped the subject. She was tired and all she wanted to do after a long day was take a warm shower and sleep.

* * *

 

Oliver got to his room and headed straight for the shower. He stepped out into the room to get dressed then he heard the door to his room close. 

“I swear! It’s like you don’t own any underwear!” Tommy screeched from the first floor. 

Oliver looked down. “Maybe you shouldn’t be looking up.” He retorted.

Tommy chuckled and plopped back on his bed.

“Where were you tonight?” Oliver asked.

“Dinner. With my father. Ugh! I don’t wanna talk about him.” Tommy answered. “What I do wanna talk about is…”

“Felicity.” Oliver completed his sentence and walked down the staircase in just his boxers. 

“You actually like her?!” Tommy questioned. 

“No.” He simply answered. But _IF_ he did Tommy didn’t have to sound so surprised. 

* * *

**SATURDAY:**

Felicity went with Oliver to his father’s last campaigning event. She got a glimpse of what Oliver’s life is like living in the shadows of his parents. It’s something to which she can relate. But Oliver’s life has an added pressure for him to be someone else, something else than what he’d choose for himself. It is as if he has no choice but to be Oliver Queen, son of the mayor, heir to Queen Consolidated, heir to a perpetually boring life. 

They went back to school that Saturday afternoon after the event. The school was pretty deserted, they opted for hanging out in the game room rather than hanging out in their hideout. They sat together on a couch and watched TV in silence. Oliver sat there with his arm along the back of the couch and his feet propped up on the coffee table. Felicity sat beside Oliver with her legs curled up under her clutching a cushion in her arms and another cushion between them.

Felicity came to EWS to get away from her mother. To learn how to be her own individual and to prove to herself that she could do it, be independent. She thought about it like a year long trial of what college would be like. But now her mother was staying Starling, her mother hadn’t confirmed that yet but Felicity knew that whatever her mother wanted she got. And if Donna wanted to bring her show from Vegas to Starling City it was only a matter of time of  setting things up. 

Now she felt that same feeling of tightness around her neck. A force that set up on her and wouldn’t let her breathe. She felt like she wanted to run away, but there was nowhere to run where she could be alone, the only other option was moving to London. But the thought of not seeing her friends everyday stopped the urge. 

“Sometimes I wish I could be anywhere but here.” Felicity confessed in a hushed tone looking straight ahead to the TV. When Oliver didn’t respond she turned to look at him. “Do you ever feel that way?”

“Sometimes.” He turned his head to glance at her. “But I’m better off being here than being home.”

She understood what he meant by that. At least in school he didn’t have to deal with the pressure his father put on his shoulders. 

“But, wouldn’t you like to live your life differently?” Felicity questioned.

“Well, yeah. I’d like to…” his mind wondered off.

Oliver sighed and realized that he didn’t really know what he wanted to do with his life. He never thought about it. His life was already planned out for him, so Felicity’s question caught him off guard. In his heart he knows that he would love to dedicate his life to making music, it was the only thing that made him truly happy. “I don’t know. Make music.”

“You can do that.” Felicity pointed out. She noticed how his eyes sparkled when he talked about music, he came alive. It was the same way he looked when he was performing. There was determination, confidence in his demeanor. She wished for him that  take her advice and confront his father, to show him what he’s capable of doing instead of succumbing to pleasing his father. 

Oliver shook his head. As if it were that simple. “It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah, it is. You just have to set your goals. Pick a target, aim and fire.” She made an example with her hands. Felicity brought one hand up to his chest, circling over his heart, picking her target. Aim she said pointing her index to the target and firing a finger gun and poking his chest. 

She made it seem like it was as simple as 1,2,3. 

“I mean, take me for example. I do what I want, whatever I feel is right.” She continued and retracted her hands back.

“Yeah, you’re crazy.” Felicity turned her head away to the TV with a huff. “And that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that your craziness is contagious.” Oliver added. 

“Really?” Felicity turned her head back to face him.

_Was she blushing?_ Oliver thought. 

He nodded his head and turned in his seat to come face to face with her. “You know, sometimes, when I’m with you and I hear what you’re saying, it seems possible.” He confessed.  

“That’s because it is. For example, remember when we got the schoolboard to change the rules? That seemed impossible, but we did it anyways.”

Oliver smiled. He thought she was so badass when he first met her. Even though she was a pain in the ass he could admit that her rebellious attitude was admirable, he wished he could be more like her. But that was something he’d never admit to her. She was such a fighter, fearless in all that she did. He would never forget when she yelled at his father.   

Felicity uncurled from her position and got rid of the cushion she was clutching. She inched closer to Oliver. “Imagine that there’s no one here. No one telling you what to say or what to do. And do what your gut tells you.” She brought a hand to his stomach, “What do you feel like doing now?”

He looked at her face as if searching for answers there. The air around them charged with tension. He inched closer to her personal space. She kept glancing down at his lips and he was looking hungrily at hers. 

They met halfway. Crashing their lips together. Arms were brought up around shoulders, hands on cheeks and jaws. They kissed with such voracity. This kiss was wild, passionate and overdue. Oliver was completely immersed into it. Their tongues poked tentatively at first and then fought each other for dominance. It was Felicity’s little hums that brought him back to reality.

And reality was that they were in school. He was still Oliver Queen and she was still Felicity Smoak. Who he supposedly couldn’t stand and was now fake dating. It was so confusing. Suddenly kissing her seemed wrong, even though it felt right. 

Oliver broke away from the kiss and turned his back to her. 

“Is that what you felt like doing?” She asked while still trying to catch her breath and regain her composure.

“No.” He shook his head.

“I don’t understand.”

“No, I- I um. I thought I heard someone coming. And well people now think we’re dating…” he supplied.

Felicity tried hard not to laugh at his poor excuse. It was Saturday! The school was practically empty. “I don’t see anyone out there.” She said making an effort to look around through the glass wall that separated the game room from the hallway. 

“Hmm. Must be gone now.” Oliver said as he avoided looking at her.

“Right…” She muttered and bit her lip nervously. 

 

 

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 22

* * *

 

BONUS SCENE:

Robert wanted Oliver to meet with him and Moira over dinner with some important members of his campaign, but Oliver refused. Robert called him numerous times on Friday. Each time Oliver picked up the phone he fed Robert another excuse. When Robert heard a loud commotion in the background he’d had enough, Oliver had told him that he was going out with a girl and that was why he couldn’t meet for dinner.

But Robert didn’t believe him, not one bit. 

On the last phone call a girl picked up the phone. 

“Tommy, stop calling! Oliver invited me to stay over but you keep interrupting our alone time.”

Oliver spoke into the phone again. “Bye, dad.”

“Wait! Oliver.”

“Yeah?”

“Was that Miss Smoak?”

“Yeah, she thought you were Tommy.”

“Well then, I won’t keep you. Have fun. Stay safe.” Robert ended the call and turned to Moira in the back of the car. He was smiling but she was scowling.

“What’s that face for?”

“I don’t understand you. I thought you disliked Felicity. And why do you gotta be all up in his business? Let the boy have fun. You worry too much.”

“That’s just it Moira. I have to butt in because I need to make sure he grows up to be a strong man, a leader like his father.”

“You two are total opposites. Oliver is a sensible guy, let him grow up at his pace. Don’t force him.”

 “I’m not forcing him. I’m just making sure he makes the right decisions. Like Felicity. Yes, I don’t completely like her but it’s because she’s a rebel, a wildcard. They’re polar opposites.”

“And you think that makes them a good match?”

“Perfect match. She has everything that Oliver lacks.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Felicity comes up with a plan to uncover who the senior care taker is. Felicity's apology to Mrs. White.   
> The results of the elections are in! Will Robert be Starling City's mayor?


	23. One by one they all fall down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The League, the care-taker, Ronnie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter in what little time I could find. I’m sorry it took me so long to update, I like to update weekly but time was not on my side last week nor this one. Enjoy this chapter, I packed it with as much action and plot as I could. Next chapter will bring an interesting twist. Hint Hint: one character will be absent and there’ll be a time jump. I hope to post by Thanksgiving or Black Friday.   
> I apologize for any mistakes I didn't proof this I was too eager to post it.

**MONDAY:**

Quentin Lance took advantage of the fact that all the students were already gathered in the dining hall for lunch to get Felicity to offer her apologies to Mrs. White.

“Now, I believe Ms. Smoak has something she’d like to say.” 

“You bet your ass I do.” 

All heads whipped around to the dining hall entrance where Donna appeared and announced herself. She strutted over to stand with Felicity. “You’ll say nothing.” She instructed her daughter and eyed Mrs. White.

“Donna?” Quentin exclaimed at her outburst.

“My girl has nothing to apologize for, if anything it’s the bag of bones who should apologize to her and her classmates.”

“I beg your pardon?” Mrs. White said.

Things got out of hand real quick. Donna didn’t let Quentin intervene in the situation, she rambled on. “You heard me! This woman shouldn’t be allowed to teach here! She’s a terrible example for the kids.” Donna addressed Lance.

Mrs. White muttered under her breath, eyeing Donna from head to toe. “Have you seen what you’re wearing? Talk about inappropriate.” Even in her most conservative outfit Donna was still showing some cleavage, her legs were covered though. 

“Okay, let’s go to my office!” Quentin stepped in.

The commotion in the dining room got louder as they made their way out. Encouraging whoopings roared as well as some catcalls for Felicity’s mom.

In Lance’s office, Donna pointed out that Mrs. White was unfit to teach the kids. Mrs. White claimed that in all her years at EWS she’d never had any complaints on her teaching and no less coming from a parent. And that’s when Donna brought out her evidence. Donna handed Quentin a copy of the complaint filed by the entirety of the senior class and signed by each one of the students, including, his own daughter, Laurel.   

Mrs. White refused to argue with someone with low intellectual coefficient, those were her exact words. Donna confirmed that while she wasn’t the smartest person in the room she did have common sense. Quentin said that Felicity didn’t have to apologize to Mrs. White and dismissed her. He also dismissed Mrs. White saying that he’d deal with her later. 

Donna sat across from Quentin appalled by how he just rolled over and let this kind of thing happen and letting it slide. 

“Who are you?” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Oh, Donna-” He got cut off by her. 

“No! You’ve changed. This thing sitting in front of me is not the same man I knew. That man had ideals, beliefs for which he fought for.” Donna berated. 

“Things change, Donna. Mrs. White is an old lady, I’ll deal with it.” He assured her. Donna in return looked at him disapprovingly. “You can’t go around giving people what they want because they’ll want more.” He explained.

His words struck a nerve deep within Donna. “Is that what happened with us? I wanted more and you wouldn’t give an inch?”

“That’s not fair. You very well know what happened, and that’s not it. I won’t apologize and I don’t regret the decisions I made.” He said unapologetically. “I did, however, keep up with your life. You’ve got your own show, you always said you’d be famous.” He admitted with a small smile. 

Donna and Quentin talked a bit about how things used to be. Donna kept her focus on the reason she dropped by in the first place. Quentin said he’d talk with Mrs. White and suspend her from work for a while.

Donna showed up to Diggle’s classroom looking for her daughter. As soon as she appeared nocking on the door the boys rallied. “May I please…” Donna pointed her finger at her daughter.

“Felicity, you’re excused.” Diggle said.

Felicity went outside with Donna.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve heard you out the first time.” Donna quickly apologized. 

“Thanks. And not just for what you did, which btw I totally approve, but for listening to me.”

“I was wrong to ask you to do something that goes against who you are as a person. I don’t ever want you to lose that part of yourself, my little rebel.” Donna smiled proudly and pinched Felicity’s cheeks. “I always want you to fight for what you believe in. And know that always fight for you because I believe in you.”

Donna pulled her in for a hug and told her that she could always count on her. Donna told her daughter how proud she was to be her mother. And she really was proud to have raised such a well rounded human being who has morals, beliefs and who is above all honest. 

* * *

 

His father always brought out the worst in him, with self-doubt, reckless behavior, lying, among others.  Whether it’d be that his presence made him skeptical or made him question his father’s motives, Tommy knew one thing for certain, he couldn’t trust his father. Malcolm Merlyn had rolled into town by the end of the last week. On Friday they had dinner. A horrible dinner that served the purpose of confirming what he’d suspected in the first place. His father was moving to China. 

His father was leaving him behind. 

How could Malcolm move to a whole different country and leave his son behind?! Tommy took the news like any other time when his father told him he was leaving on a business trip, whenever he extended that courtesy. Tommy had gotten used to his father disappearing from his life. And though it was a normal occurrence for his father to be absent he still felt disappointed that his father would leave when he would need him the most. Tommy was about to graduate, to go to college, to be an adult and he couldn’t count on his father to be there for him. 

Tommy didn’t feel like sharing this information with Oliver. Lately, it seemed like being abandoned was a thing destined to happen to him, be it from his father or his friend. Oliver had been spending a lot of time with Felicity, they barely saw each other anymore, so when his father dropped that bomb on him he felt like he had no one to turn to. Tommy kept it in like he did with all his feelings. 

Tommy chose to focus on school for once in his life. Now that he was on his own he had to take things seriously. He was barely passing his classes with C’s and D’s. He needed help and for that he knew just who to turn to. Laurel. 

He was still following her around but she never did anything interesting. She always had her nose stuck in a book. He knew she could tutor him, just like he knew he could ask Lance to bump up his GPA. He didn’t ask Lance for the latter because if he wanted to do something with his life he had to start small. Firstly he had to bring his GPA up so he could get into college, something he hadn’t ever thought of. But with his father moving away he felt like he had to grow up and do things for himself without his father’s help but mostly without his money. He asked Laurel for help she agreed to tutor him but not before laughing to his face, she thought he was kidding. He convinced her that he was serious about it. Tommy even told her about his father moving to China, he made her swear she wouldn’t tell a soul. She asked if he’d told Oliver and he said no, Oliver’s life was complicated as it was he didn’t need more on his plate. 

To get on the money situation he found an easy fix: poker. Tommy knew how to play poker, but he didn’t know how to win. The Dixon brothers and a couple of juniors liked to play poker while they waited for their laundry to be done and they liked to bet big money. If Tommy could figure out a way to win he could solve his money crisis. 

Tommy walked around the school looking for Oliver and found him in the study hall. With Felicity. And Oliver finally doing homework? Okay something was clearly wrong.  Oliver never did his homework. And if he didn’t really like Felicity then what the hell was he doing with her. Oliver said that Felicity and him were hanging out because they were doing community service at a youth center in The Glades and that they were fake dating for their parents. But here they were at school hanging out together neither Donna or Robert or Moira in sight. Hmm. 

Tommy walked over to their table. “Hey Ollie, does your girlfriend know how to count cards?” He noted how Oliver shut his notebook in a hurry.  

“You do know I’m sitting right here right?” Felicity protested. “And why do people assume that just because from Vegas I know how to count cards?”

“Can you?” Oliver asked. 

“Yes. But it’s not because I’m from Vegas. One of mom’s ex boyfriends taught me.” She answered to Oliver then turned to address Tommy, “Why do you ask?”

“Teach me!” Tommy pleaded and placed a deck of cards on the table. 

“You good with numbers? Because it’ll be easier if you’re good at math.” Felicity took the deck in her hands and started shuffling them as she explained how all about probabilities and how to count cards. 

Tommy tried to not pay attention Oliver’s prideful look he gave Felicity as she taught him how to count cards, she never noticed. 

* * *

 

**TUESDAY:**

Oliver had to skip on going to The Glades with Felicity because his father had won the election and he had to be there to celebrate with his family. Felicity was left with Sara, Laurel had gone to the library. They came up with a plan that would help figure out who was The League’s senior care-taker. 

The plan was to use Nyssa’s League phone to text the senior care-taker and ask him to meet with her, all the while they were in class. That way when one of the guys from the senior class left the room they would know the identity of the care-taker. Once they get that information they can come up with a plan to get the League’s records from him. 

* * *

 

**WEDNESDAY:**

Sara texted Felicity to let her know that Nyssa was about to text the care-taker. Felicity looked around the classroom to check that the boys were all present. Everyone was there, all but one. 

Tommy. 

What are the odds? Felicity thought.

Felicity turned in her seat to face Oliver. “Where’s Tommy?”

“He's out sick.” Oliver answered.

She sighed desperately and texted Sara to abort the mission.

**Sara: Too late.**

_Crap._

Seconds later Charlie Dixon asked for permission to go to the restroom. But then Sebastian Blood was called to the principal’s office, so he exited the classroom too.  

Their plan was quickly going to shit.

It was supposed to be a fool proof plan! Only one guy was supposed to be gone from the classroom when Nyssa texted, not two or three. Thank god Nyssa wasn’t actually going to meet with anyone.

That afternoon Oliver and Felicity were going at it again. All the pleasant harmony that they were having lately completely vanished when Felicity implied that Tommy was a suspect. Of course Oliver fought to defend him.

“So he just happened to be ‘out sick’ today? And I’m supposed to believe that? Tell me you can at least see that it’s a little suspicious.” Felicity pleaded.

“Yes, he’s out sick. If you don’t believe me ask Ray. I’ll admit the timing is suspicious, but I know Tommy and I know that he’s not in The League.”

“You say that because he’s your friend. He looks guilty to me. As guilty as Charlie Dixon and Sebastian Blood.” 

Oliver let her think she’d won that argument. But Tommy really was out sick that day, he had a case of explosive diarrhea. Not good, that’s why he stayed in his room all day. 

When Oliver got back to his room that night, the first thing he did was check on Tommy.

“Hey, man. How’re you doing?”

“Great! I went to the infirmary and the nurse gave me something to stop the poops. I legitimately thought I was going to die from pooping that much.” Tommy said as he ran a hand over his lower abdomen. 

Yep. Tommy was definitely okay now.

* * *

 

**THURSDAY:**

On Thursday Tommy wanted to test out the tricks Felicity had taught him. He met up with the Dixons and the juniors for poker night. He won the first round without having to cheat. He got cocky and pushed his luck. 

Tommy cheated. He counted cards just how Felicity taught him and it worked. In just two rounds he’d won 400 dollars. Charlie grew suspicious and started calling Tommy’s bluffs. When Tommy won the third round Charlie was pissed. Tommy tried to play it cool but it didn’t work. Charlie jumped up and got in his face.

“Dude, come on it’s just a game.” Sam tried to intervene.

“See, your brother gets it. Nobody likes a sore loser, Charlie.” Tommy said.

That set him off. “I’m not losing if you’re cheating, Merlyn!” Charlie swung his fist to Tommy’s face.

The hit threw him off balance. If there was one thing Malcolm had taught him was to fight, literally. It was something his father demanded he’d learned. He didn’t want his son to be defenseless like his mother was when she was murdered. So Tommy hit back hard with a firm punch to Charlie’s jaw. 

“Okay! That’s enough!” Sam exclaimed when he and the juniors managed to pull them apart.

* * *

 

On Thursday night, on her way back to her room, Nyssa was jumped by The League. She was taken to another secret meeting place where they questioned her. The room was very dark and the shadows were wearing their hoodies with masks making it impossible to make out even their eyes. They asked her about the texts but she claimed that she had nothing to do with those. She could tell that they were getting angry. Things were going bad and she needed to get out of there. But she didn’t even know where she was. She spotted a door a made a run for it. 

“Get her!!”

She was about to get the door when she felt a hand grab her arm. She swung her hand and hit something hard. A face, she figured. Even though she hit the shadow in the face the hand on her arm was still getting a good grip, so she swung her arm again. With more force she hit again his face so hard she heard him groan in protest and for a second the grip on her arm loosened. This was her chance. 

Nyssa ran away, when she got out from that meeting place she realized that the secret place was in fact the kitchen storeroom. She kept on running always looking back to check if she was being followed. She was. She ran into the girls’ communal showers. Nyssa figured they might not go in there where they would for sure stand out. But it was almost lights out so the showers were empty. 

Except for one.

“Hello? Who’s in here?”

“Nyssa?” Sara’s face peaked out from behind a shower curtain.

“Thank god it’s you! The League is coming for me!” Nyssa exclaimed while going through all the showers and opening the faucets. 

“What?” Sara asked confused as Nyssa stripped to her underwear. “And what the hell are you doing?!”

“Hide me!” Nyssa said grabbed a towel and got into Sara’s stall.

Sara’s stall where she was naked.

She normally showered in her room but Felicity was showering and taking too long and she had to be in bed by lights out. So that left Sara with the only option of showering in the communal showers. Sara blushed beet red, no one had ever seen her naked. She turned around quickly, grabbed her towel and wrapped herself in it. She went to turn the faucet off but Nyssa stopped her.

“Hold on. When I tell you, you’ll go outside and pick up my clothes. You put them on and walk out. Act normal. Like I’m not here.” Nyssa whispered.

“I gotta confess something.” Sara whispered.

“Really? Sara, now’s not the time!”

“I never liked this business with The League.” Sara said her piece, crossing her arms over her chest to let Nyssa know she was serious.

“Don’t worry, by the looks of it they’ll probably get rid of me after what happened tonight. I’ll text you when I get back to my room, catch you up.”

Sara worried. If The League wanted to ‘get rid’ of Nyssa, whatever their plan was, they would not be gentle. 

As soon as Nyssa heard footsteps she turned off the shower and made Sara step out as she put on Sara’s  pjs. Nyssa stepped out, no one was there and Sara was also gone. Nyssa didn’t think twice about it and made a run for her room. 

**Nys: I’m safe.**

**Sar: I don’t like this at all. What the hell happened tonight?!**

**Nys: They questioned me and when I didn’t crack they got angry. I panicked and ran away.**

**Sar: Who was there?**

**Nys: League leader, I guess, and the junior and senior care-takers. I punched him in the face.**

**Sar: Who did you punch?**

**Nys: The senior care-taker.**

* * *

 

**FRIDAY:**

This was it. Today they would know for sure who the senior care-taker was. Nyssa had said she’d punched him in the face. All they had to do was check who showed up beat up, they would not engage though. They needed to know who it was in order to come up with a plan to get the League’s records. 

But surprise. Surprise. 

Tommy Merlyn, Charlie Dixon and Sebastian Blood all showed up beat up. Both Tommy and Sebastian had black eyes and Charlie sported a mean looking bruise on his jaw. 

Felicity turned in her seat to face Oliver. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Still think he’s innocent?”

“Yeah. There has to be an explanation.”

They waited until the school day was over before confronting Tommy. 

Tommy was with Laurel in the library working on their homework when she asked him about the black eye. 

“You know how I told you that my dad’s moving to China…”

“Oh my god! Tommy did your father do this?!” She reached to touch his bruising face but Tommy winced in anticipation. “Sorry.”

Tommy shook his head, “No, it’s okay. It wasn’t my father. It was Charlie.”

“Dixon?” Laurel dropped her hand. “What’s he gotta do with this?”

“It was Poker night last night with the Dixon brothers and a couple of guys from the junior class, I played because I wanted to earn some money on my own. Anyways, I got caught counting cards.” Tommy explained. “I didn’t want anyone to see it. I was going to stop by your room this morning, ask you to cover it up with some make up or something but you’d already gone for breakfast and you didn’t go back to your room either.”

“Oh, you waited for me?” She blushed. “But why do you need money isn’t your dad like a billionaire?”

Tommy pressed his lips together making a small smile appear and nodded his head. “You said it. He is I’m not. I have a trust fund but I’m not gonna be able to get my hands on that money until I’m 21. For the time being I’m supposed to rely on my father, financially at least, but if he can move to China and not think twice about the implications then he’s capable of cutting me off, for good.”

“Come on, Tommy. I’m sure he’d make sure you were taken care of. And I’m sure that if you needed anything you could ask Oliver for help.”

“Right…” Tommy hesitated but decided to share something with Laurel. “You know, it’s not the first time he vanishes like this. When my mom was murdered he left me with the Queens and didn’t even say where he was going or when he was coming back. That’s why I haven’t said anything to Oliver yet. And he won’t find out about this, okay?”

“Okay, Tommy.” Laurel reached up on the table to take his hand in hers. “That’s why you’re doing this, taking school seriously for once? You’re afraid he’ll abandon you again, leave you completely on your own.” Laurel concluded, but in the back of her mind she thought, hoped?, that Tommy was doing this to get closer to her. She had been unable to think straight ever since Felicity planted doubts in her mind. Doubts about Tommy and his intentions with her. Laurel wasn’t sure if he liked her but she did know he trusted her. He’d told her things, personal things that he had yet to tell Oliver. And she had taken an interest in him since she discovered that he was following her around. Granted, he said he was doing it as a favor for Lance, who he referred to as his in-law, but he wasn’t getting anything in return.  

Before Tommy could confirm her statement, Oliver and Felicity stormed into the library and settled on their table.

“Where are the records?!” Felicity leaned over the table and grabbed Tommy by his tie and got in his face. 

“Felicity?!” Laurel half-yelled, half-whispered. “What the hell?”

Felicity turned to Laurel, “He’s the one. The one we’ve been looking for.”

“Oliver! Control your girl!” Tommy called out. 

Poor choice of words. 

Oliver stood behind Felicity, not wanting to get involved in the situation. The more he listened to what Felicity said the more it made sense. He still believed that Tommy was innocent though. “You’re on your own, man. There’s no controlling this.” Oliver said waving a hand signaling towards Felicity. 

“Oh no you did not! I’ll give you another black eye if you don’t answer my next question. Where are the records?” Felicity was losing her patience, she wanted Tommy to confess that he was the care-taker. 

“What are you talking about?!”

She didn’t want to have to spell it out for him, he left her no choice but to be straightforward. “The League!” 

“ _The_ League?” he repeated. 

“Don’t play dumb, not with me. How’d you get the black eye on the first place?”

“This is all your fault!” Laurel exclaimed.

Oliver put a hand on Felicity’s elbow, silently pleading her to settle down. He pulled her down from the table. And now Felicity was confused. Why was everyone so chill about this when Tommy looked guilty as hell? Could it be possible that she was wrong?

“How is it my fault?!” Felicity finally asked. 

“Poker.” That’s all Laurel said. 

“Then who the hell punched you?” Oliver asked Tommy. 

“Dixon. Charlie, but I punched back.” Tommy said with a smug grin on his face. “I sort of got caught cheating.”

Oh! Felicity felt so stupid. Of course Oliver was right, Tommy was innocent. And so was Charlie, which meant that Sebastian was the care-taker.

“Sorry, I was mistaken.” That was Felicity’s version of an apology. 

“What are you guys getting yourselves into? Are you messing with The League?!” Tommy asked.

“It’s better if you don’t know.” Oliver responded. “Come on, Felicity. We have to go.” He pulled her along.

* * *

 

Oliver and Felicity skipped on going to the youth center, instead they went to Big Belly Burger. They’d been going there a lot, enough to have a regular spot by the window. Felicity was enjoying the last slurp of her mint chip milkshake when Oliver spoke up about what happened earlier with Tommy. 

“He’s lying.”

“Okay…Make up your mind. Cause first you were mad at me for believing that he was guilty, and now that I think he’s innocent you don’t believe him?”

“I know it sounds crazy but lately he’s been acting weird. He’s hiding something.” Oliver dropped his head and his arms on the table feeling terrible about doubting of his best friend. 

“So, we’ll keep an eye out for him. We can’t lose our focus here.” She reached over the table to put a hand on his forearm and grab his attention. “Now that we know for sure that Sebastian is the care-taker we can make a plan and get the evidence we need to take them down. But I’m tired of talking about The League. Let’s talk about something else.” She requested.

“Fine.” He said with a small smile and squeezed her hand. She hadn’t even noticed when he flipped his arm and took her hand in his, caressing her knuckles. “We’ll go to the recording studio tomorrow.” Oliver was very excited about it. He’d talked with his cousin and arranged to have a session on Saturday.

“Excellent!” Felicity pulled her hands- because apparently she had put her other hand on top of his when he was caressing her knuckles- from his and clapped with giddy excitement. 

* * *

 

**SATURDAY:**

They met with Ronnie at the studio located in a small place at the heart of the city. Oliver made the introductions. 

“This is Felicity. My duet partner.”

Felicity smiled and offered her hand for Ronnie to shake. He took her hand, turned it and kissed the back of it. 

“Ronnie Quee- Raymond. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

Felicity all but melted right there and then. She knew she was most likely blushing and did nothing to hide it. Ronnie was so dreamy. Handsome, well mannered, tall, dark haired, and blue eyed just like Oliver. That was the only thing Felicity found those two had in common.

“You seem unsure about your name there, Ronnie.” She quipped. “Which is it Queen or Raymond?”

“Raymond. It used to be Queen.”

“His dad and my dad are brothers. That’s why we have the same last name.” Oliver supplied. 

“Had.” Ronnie corrected. 

“You’re still a Queen. Legally.” Oliver retorted. 

“I’m working to change it, legally, the lawyers told me it’d be easier if I waited until I turn 18.”

“Wait, you’re 17?” Felicity asked then I turned to Oliver. “I thought you said he was your older cousin.”

“It’s an inside joke. We were born a week apart, me first of course. But then we started school and I skipped a grade and Oliver was jealous, so we started saying that I was the older cousin.” Ronnie explained. 

“Okay that’s enough. Let’s get to it.” Oliver said. “And I was not jealous!”

Ronnie set up the microphones in the booth and sat on the other side behind the mixing board. Oliver was up first. Ronnie gave him the go signal and they started recording Oliver’s guitar. They were recording the song Oliver wrote. Ronnie nodded along as he continued to move his hands along the mixing board. 

Ronnie pressed a button to talk to Oliver. He let him know that they were done with the guitar and that he could go ahead and start singing. Once they’d gotten Oliver’s part done Ronnie suggested Felicity get in there with Oliver and do some harmonies to add another layer to the track. 

“That’s great! Okay. Oliver, you come outside and Felicity, you stay in there, I wanna try something.” Ronnie instructed. 

Oliver came out from the booth leaving Felicity on her own. Ronnie played the instrumental track of Alessia Cara's Stone. Felicity missed the cue and Ronnie restarted the track. 

“It’s okay. We’ll go again from the top. Now!” Ronnie cued her in signaling with his hand. He turned to Oliver, “She’s awesome. Great voice too. Good job.”

Oliver nodded along. Felicity was indeed pretty awesome. He didn’t know how to best describe how he felt toward her. Admiration is the word that best encompasses his feelings. He admired her resiliency, her courage and her honesty. Those were qualities that he lacked and envied from her. Oliver realized that he knew her now and didn’t completely hate her. 

“Hmm. She’s also a computer geek, a total nerd.”

“Seriously?” 

Ronnie seemed impressed by her too. “And on top of that she’s really fiery.” “Fiery?” Ronnie mouthed. Oliver nodded and explained what he meant by that, he told him all about how she got the school to change the dress code by doing an act of civil disobedience, how she totally handled Robert and how she pushed him to write and perform his own songs. 

“Damn. She’s a keeper, don’t screw this one up, Ollie.” 

“Oh, she’s not- we’re not together-together. She’s just my duet partner.” Oliver felt the need to clear that up because he couldn’t keep lying to everyone, and to reassure himself. 

“So she’s fair game?”

Oliver hesitated before answering but he answered with the truth. “As far as I’m concerned, yeah. She’s fair game.”

“So if, hypothetically speaking, I were to ask her out you won’t get jealous?”

“Why would I?” Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “And what makes you think she’ll say yes?” 

Ronnie hit some buttons on the mixing board as the song Felicity was singing came to an end. Ronnie turned to Oliver, “This. Watch.” Ronnie pressed a button that allowed Felicity to hear him inside the booth. “That was great.” He smiled giving her a thumbs up she responded by blushing and smiling back. Ronnie glanced at Oliver to see if he’d catched Felicity blushing, he had. 

Ronnie addressed Felicity again, this time to ask her out on a date. She looked shocked as if taken by surprise. Of course she said yes. 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 23

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm curious about your thoughts. Let me know in the comments. Thanks. :)


	24. Fights & Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is self-explanatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but I couldn't stop writing. I meant to post this for Thanksgiving, and I even had this note ready about how thankful I am to all you readers out there reading this story. And to thank you for following it...thank you so so much. Enjoy a bonus scene at the end of the chapter as a little gift for Thanksgiving and to make up for the late posting. 
> 
> I had a blast writing this. I know I always promise something on these notes and almost never follow through, I apologize. But I promise you the next four chapters will be exciting. Even though I haven't written them yet. I've been writing this story following the real time, meaning that in the story it's November, I talked about doing a time jump. You'll see that happen. It'll help speed things along and then slow them back down.

**SUNDAY:**

Felicity went out with Ronnie on their first date. They had a picnic at the park. Ronnie packed their food: a pepperoni pizza and mint chip ice cream. He loved pizza and he’d done his homework and asked Oliver if he knew Felicity’s favorite ice cream. Felicity could tell that he paid a lot of attention to details and she was a sucker for those. Ronnie sat across from her with his legs stretched out, they ate and talked a lot about anything and everything. 

They shifted from sitting to laying down to stare up at the sky, their faces were side by side but their bodies were stretched out on opposite directions. If Ronnie turned his head he’d come face first with her lips, he thought it’d make a great and romantic first kiss with Felicity. They talked about him and his connection to music. Ronnie had his own band but he’d lost his lead singer and they were at a stand still. 

At one point in the conversation Felicity straight up asked him if he had a girlfriend. He looked puzzled, she didn’t like that he didn’t answer right away, it’s not like she gave him a chance to because she was rambling. 

“I mean you seem like a great guy, I don’t get what you _think_ you see in me. But I have to know if you have a girlfriend or if you’re just dating around because the last guy I went out with, which coincidentally was the first one ever, he was already going out with my best friend.” Oh god she should shut up. She couldn’t believe she admitted that she’d only ever dated one other guy, she propped up on her elbows and looked at him expectantly. 

He mirrored her position and smiled. The same gorgeous pearly white smile Oliver had, she noted, except that on Oliver it was irritating and on Ronnie it was endearing. “Honest…Oliver said you were honest but you’re _blunt_.” He saw a look of disappointment cross her face. “I like it.” He clarified. She looked up at him wide eyed, “And to answer your question, no I don’t have a girlfriend nor am I dating around.”

Turns out that Ronnie and his now ex-girlfriend Caitlin had broken up earlier that year, right after they graduated. They parted amicably, it hurt, but it wasn’t a messy break up it was life pulling them to opposite directions. She went away to college and Ronnie stayed in Starling, in pursuit of success with his band. That’s how he ended up having a job at a recording studio, all he did there was get coffee for the producers whenever he wasn’t untangling cables or setting up microphones. His family had money so he didn’t really need a job, he had one because it made him happy, even if he was just fetching coffee because being around creative people and music fed his muse. 

Ronnie asked her about her relationship with Oliver, how they met and how they got to be duet partners. She told him about blackmailing Oliver and how she got the radio station to play Oliver’s song. Ronnie was impressed. “That was you?!” He chuckled when she nodded her head and explained how she managed that. She also explained that they became partners by accident when Verdant’s hostess mistook them for actual musicians. 

“I can’t believe you got him to write _and_ perform his songs. That’s impressive.” Ronnie admitted on the drive back to school. Ronnie had a blue LS Lexus that his parents gave him as a graduation present. 

Felicity eyed Ronnie looking like he’d grown a second head. “I didn’t do anything, really. Oliver wrote that song by himself and he performed it when I suggested it. It’s not like I had to beg him to do it or anything, I just asked.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it wasn’t a big deal, which to her it wasn’t. But she didn’t know that it was out of character on Oliver’s part, he would never in a million years write and much less perform an original song, all of which Ronnie knew. He’d been bugging Oliver to write songs, he even encouraged him to take up a song writing class, but it never amounted to anything.

They arrived at the school and Ronnie walked Felicity back inside. 

“I had a great time.” Ronnie said while smiling. 

Felicity nodded her head in agreement. “Me too.”

“We should do that again sometime…say Friday night? I could go see you and Oliver perform and then we could go have dinner. Earlier you said that you didn’t know what I think I see in you, well... I like what I see and I wanna see more, get to know you better.”

Ronnie’s words made Felicity blush and look down at her feet. His suggestion of another date sounded amazing. Felicity smiled so hard she thought she might crack her teeth. “It’s a date.” She stared up at him waiting to see if he’d kiss her good-bye. 

Ronnie being a gentleman took her hand and pulled her forward bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing it, never breaking eye contact with her. “See you, Felicity.” 

“Bye, Ronnie.” She sighed. She would never get tired of that happening.

* * *

 

On that Sunday night Nyssa met with The League once again. They told her that they were going to give her another chance. Another chance for her to prove herself and for them to truly trust her and believe that she had nothing to do with those texts. But they also offered her an out. 

“We can see by the way that you reacted the other night that you’re scared of us. And if you were here to mess with us you wouldn’t be scared, you’d trust us.” Said the senior care-taker. 

The leader jumped in too. “We’re going to give you an option, a courtesy that’s not commonly given out.”

“What is it?” She questioned. 

“A chance to walk away.”

She gasped and she could tell that the senior care-taker was shocked too. 

“No one walks away from The League!” The senior care-taker exclaimed. 

The leader turned to the care-taker, “She’s not walking away from The League because she was never initiated. She doesn’t know who we are so she can walk away.” The leader turned again to address her this time, “But if you wish to fight for our cause you’re welcome to stay. But I must warn you we’re going to get to the bottom of the texts issue.”

Nyssa nodded in agreement. 'Okay' she said. Even though they offered her an out she couldn’t take it. The League had to be stopped if it was the last thing she ever did. 

When she told Sara about it…let’s just say that her reaction wasn’t what Nyssa expected. She expected Sara to be supportive and help her come up with a plan to disband The League, but that’s not what she got. Instead Sara gave her an earful about how stupid it was for her to keep going after they offered her an out. 

“Seriously?!” Sara huffed and paced in front of the couch in the parent’s room where they met to talk about this. 

Nyssa crossed her arms over her chest but kept her calm and collected demeanor by staying put in her seat. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”

Big deal?!

“Are you insane?! Need I remind you that they tried to hurt you just last Thursday and it ended up with _you_ in your underwear and me _naked_ in the shower.” Sara face palmed herself, “I know how that sounded but you know what I mean. They’re dangerous Nys.”

“Oh, I see what this is about.” Nyssa squinted her eyes at Sara. “It’s about me seeing your breasts.” Nyssa pointed at Sara’s chest. 

Sara blushed and laughed nervously. “No. What? No. Don’t change the subject, I’m being serious here!” Nyssa giggled and it made Sara angrier.

Angry does not begin to encompass what Sara feels. She is pissed. 

“You know I’ve been against this since the very beginning, this has trouble written all over it and it’s been stressing me out. Whether it’s you or Felicity I’m always worried about one of you guys getting hurt but neither of you seem to care what I think. And I’m done. Done wasting my time.”

Nyssa dared to interrupt Sara, serious this time. “What are you saying?”

“That if you won’t listen I just won’t talk anymore. I’m done.”

“Sara! Come on, you’re being ridiculous!”

Sara turned on her heel and walked out of the room leaving Nyssa behind calling out for her to come back. 

* * *

 

**WEDNESDAY:**

Things were eerily calm in school on The League’s front. Everything else was as normal as ever: Diggle was imparting his wisdom, Ms. Michaels was as serious as ever, Lance was a pain in the ass, as usual. Tommy passed a history test, so that was a win. 

Laurel noticed that she hadn’t seen Mrs. White since last week when Felicity went at it with her. “Mr. Diggle, I, um, don’t mean to interrupt but do you know anything about Mrs. White?” 

Diggle furrowed his brows, “She’s taken a leave of absence. Didn’t she tell you guys?”

Laurel shook her head. “When will she be back?”

“Next week, I suppose. We have a mandatory meeting with Mr. Lance next week, apparently there’s an important announcement he has to make.” Diggle explained. 

“Yeah, I bet it’s to announce that he fired Mrs. White.” Oliver huffed while chuckling. Tommy fist bumped him and the class erupted into a loud commotion. 

“Why would Mrs. White get fired?” Diggle questioned Oliver. 

“Because of what she said to George Peterson, Kevin’s younger brother.” Felicity answered instead. 

Diggle turned back to the front of the classroom and walked towards Kevin’s desk. “Hey, Kevin so what happened? What did Mrs. White say to your brother?”

Kevin somewhat nervously looked up from his book to answer Diggle. “Ahhh, nothing Mr. Diggle it was Mrs. White being Mrs. White. It’s no big deal.” Kevin brushed it off as if it indeed was nothing. 

“I wouldn’t put it that way.” Felicity protested from her desk. “She implied that on top of having an ugly face, her words not mine!, George was also an uneducated grunt, all because he accidentally bumped into her when he rushed into the classroom.” Felicity explained as she went into detail. 

Diggle looked back at Kevin to corroborate if what Felicity said was true. It was. He gently nodded his head and confirmed that Felicity’s testimony was truthful. “Yeah, and then Felicity got in trouble for defending my brother.” 

Felicity explained what happened after she got sent to the principal’s office, how she refused to sign the written warning Mrs. White wanted to give her. Then she recounted the scene where Donna showed up and everything that followed. Diggle said he’d look into Mrs. White and continued with his lesson. 

* * *

 

Oliver and Felicity were going about their afternoon as they normally did. After doing their community service they picked up some burgers and headed back to school. They went down to the secret room to rehearse a couple of new songs Felicity had suggested they tried. It was going well but they could not get in sync to sing ‘Something stupid'. Oliver was very familiar with the song, it was one of Moira’s favorites. And it was frustrating how one of them always got derailed and off key whenever the other joined in for the harmonies. 

Oliver stopped playing the guitar and groaned. “This isn’t working. This song sucks!”

“It does not suck! It should be easier. It’s a Michael Bublé song.” Felicity complained. “Let’s try it again.”

They tried and failed yet again, this time it was Oliver’s fault. He was unfocused because of Felicity’s buzzing phone. It kept buzzing and buzzing. He couldn’t take it anymore and picked it up to silence it but instead he answered it. 

“Hello? Yeah, she’s gonna have to call you back later. We’re trying to rehearse. Bye!” 

“OLIVER! Give me back my phone!” 

She reached for it but Oliver refused and shoved it under his thigh. “Not until we get this done!” 

Her phone kept buzzing under Oliver’s leg but they kept on rehearsing until they got it right. About 20 minutes later they were satisfied with the progress they’d made and called it a night. Oliver glance at the screen on her phone and saw notifications of unread texts from Ronnie. Oliver left her alone in the secret room, a blushing giggling mess as she answered back the texts. 

* * *

 

**THURSDAY:**

On Thursday, Felicity skipped on going with Oliver to The Glades. Ronnie picked her up after school to go watch his band rehearse. 

All the kids at the youth center asked Oliver about Felicity’s whereabouts, he told them she was out probably on a date. 

Little Roy asked how he was okay with Felicity going out with other guys. Oliver chuckled and explained that it didn’t bother him for a number of reasons. One, Felicity was not his girl so he was perfectly fine with her going out with other guys. Two, Felicity was going out with his cousin, a good guy.  And lastly, he now considered her a friend nothing more. 

Roy made a face as if not convinced by his words. “Prove it then!”

“Fine!” 

**Trainwreck: Roy says hello.**

Felicity answered back almost instantly. 

**SHE DEVIL: Awwww :3**

**SHE DEVIL: Tell him hi for me. I promise I’ll be there tomorrow.**

“See? Nothing weird.” Oliver showed off the texts to Roy. 

The phone buzzed again as Roy read the texts. 

**SHE DEVIL: Firestorm is awesome!**

**SHE DEVIL: Did you know they’re awesome?!**

**SHE DEVIL: They are awesome!**

“Hmm! Dude! She likes you! Look!” Roy handed back the phone. 

Oliver read the texts.

Silly Roy! There’s nothing on those texts that would suggest that Felicity likes him. “Roy…where do you get these ideas?”

“Look at the texts.” Roy instructed. Roy was a smartass kid, clever. He paid attention to details, it frustrated him when people didn’t notice the same things he did. He huffed desperately and pointed at the time stamp of the texts. “Read between the lines.”

“Roy, you’re not making any sense.”

 “Okay, first, see when you first texted Felicity she answered back within the minute.”

“Okay… so?”

“Do not interrupt, let me finish!” Roy scolded. “Now, you said she’s on a date,” Oliver nodded affirming the facts, “But if she’s busy texting you-- Look! she won’t stop texting back! She’s gotta be thinking about you or is bored. Point is, she’s on a _date_ but she’s texting _you_.”

“Roy…that’s just the way she texts. She likes to talk--”

“Yeah! To you!” Roy teased batting his eyelashes and making kissing noises.  

“No.” Oliver said with finality. “Let’s go back with the group, Roy.”

* * *

 

** FRIDAY: **

On Friday night after singing at Verdant, Oliver headed back to school. He was working on a new set list for next Friday but he couldn’t choose four songs. And now Roy had gotten in his head. He could practically hear him nagging on his ear, pleading him to text _her_. No, he thought, she’s busy. Maybe he should wait for her to come back and discuss it with her. That’d be easier. 

But then he heard Roy’s voice. _Text her! She’ll answer back!_

He debated whether it was appropriate to text her when he knew fully well that she was out on a date. He knew it was wrong, if he were in her place it would probably piss him off to have her nagging and interrupting his date, but he was curious about Roy’s theory. 

It’s one text. What’s the damage?

**Trainwreck: Hey, don’t mean to interrupt but I’m having trouble coming up with a set list for next week.**

**SHE DEVIL: It’s okay. What’d you have in mind?**

Oh my god! She texted back! And she said it was okay. Roy was right. 

No!

He wasn’t! Oliver caught himself and did the right thing. He texted her back.  

**Trainwreck: Not sure. But it’s fine I can wait until you come back. Have fun.**

**SHE DEVIL: Alright. See you when I get back.**  

Oliver waited for her in the foyer. He saw how Ronnie walked Felicity back to the entrance. He saw in explicit detail their goodbyes. Felicity was twirling a strand of her hair as she looked up expectantly at Ronnie. Ronnie walked into her personal space and took her face in his hands and gently pecked her lips. 

Oliver’s stomach revolted and he immediately regretted the pizza he ate at 9pm. It was not sitting well with him. He rubbed his stomach until it faded away and Felicity walked over.

“So you wanted to talk?” Felicity took a seat alongside Oliver on the bench. 

“Yep. It’s about us.”

“What is it?”

“You can’t date Ronnie.”

“Excuse me?!” Felicity jumped up from the bench and so did Oliver. “You can’t tell me what to do!” She pushed past him but he stopped her by grabbing her shoulders. 

“I know that.” He said looking her straight in the eyes. 

“Then what the hell is wrong with you?!” Felicity demanded and pushed his hands away.

“That Ronnie kissed you!” Oliver exploded and Felicity seemed taken back by his reaction. “He _kissed_ you, _here_ , in school, where everyone can see you. And people think we’re going out and I won’t be the joke of the school by being cheated on again.”

“Fine! I’ll fix it. But you ought to know better by now, Oliver. Other people’s opinion shouldn’t matter to you.”

* * *

 

**SATURDAY:**

Oliver wanted her to not date Ronnie, or to not bring him around school. If her fake relationship with Oliver was the problem then she would fix it, her way. 

If Oliver thought he could tell her what to do and she’d do it then he’s got another thing coming. 

Felicity called Robert and asked if he could come down to the school and talk to her, privately. Robert assured he’d be there. 

They met in the parent’s room. Felicity knew what she had to do, what she had to say to set things in motion. Because if she and Oliver were going to fake break up they needed a fake reason to do so. 

“Everything okay with you and Oliver?” Robert asked. 

She faked disappointment and embarrassment and said, “Yeah, everything’s great. Well…we’ve been having some technical difficulties… with little Ollie.”

“Technical difficulties?”

“Yeah. Oliver mentioned something about his blood pressure and how it made his body feel warm all over. So, when little Ollie couldn’t make it to the party,” Felicity made a hand gesture that confirmed that little Ollie was code for Oliver’s dick, “I went on the internet to find out what went wrong, what’s wrong with Oliver. I mean, he’s a teenager he should be able to get it up no trouble, but we did have trouble. So, anyways, I went online and found that high blood pressure could be a cause for erectile dysfunction.”

Robert took a deep breath. His son couldn’t be facing this, he felt bad for Oliver. “Oh, Felicity, I appreciate your concern, really. Thanks for telling me.”

“Oh no! Please don’t tell Oliver I told you this! He was mortified!” Felicity pleaded. 

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. I’ll take him to the doctor, it’s time for his physical anyways.”

And that’s how Felicity planted the seeds she’d reap later on.

* * *

 

**WEDNESDAY:**

By Wednesday of the next week Oliver was already annoyed by his father’s insistent behavior. First, it was taking Oliver to the doctor for his yearly physical, which he normally did for his birthday so he wouldn’t forget about doing it. Then it was pleading him to go with him to the country club, something Oliver hated because it was always crowded with old people like his father, always eager to talk business. But Oliver finally conceded, well Felicity made him available that day. 

> _“I can’t. I already have plans. With Felicity.” Oliver said to his father._
> 
> _In that same moment Felicity happened to walk by. “Felicity!” Robert called out and she headed their way._
> 
> _“Hello, Mr. Queen.”_
> 
> _“You can call me Robert, dear. Anyways, could you postpone your plans with Oliver for another day, I’d like to take him with me to the country club.”_
> 
> _Felicity looked over at Oliver, who was pleading her to go along with it. This was her chance. “I think you’re mistaken. Oliver and I no longer have plans seeing as how I broke up with him.”_
> 
> _Robert’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”_
> 
> _“Yeah, he’s all yours. Excuse me but I have to go. Have fun with your son Mr. Queen.”_
> 
> _“Did she break up with you?” Robert questioned. No wonder Oliver couldn’t get it up, she was emasculating him to no end._
> 
> _“No…well…maybe.” Oliver saw the look of disappointment cross his father’s face. “She caught me making out with another girl, you know how it is.”_
> 
> _And that somehow made Robert proud, that his son was a ladies man, and a liar. “Well…at least you gave her a good reason to.”_

Robert was keen on bonding with his son. Ever since Robert talked with Oliver’s doctor he’d been worried about his son…and his sex life. The doctor told Robert that Oliver was perfectly fine. When Robert asked the doctor about ‘little Ollie’ the doctor told him that ‘little Ollie'  was in mint condition.

_Brand new_. _Never been used before._

But Oliver assured him that little Ollie was indeed functional.

This information threw him off because either Oliver was lying to him or to his doctor. Robert wrote it off as Oliver lying to him simply because it was highly likely that his son was lying to him, it wouldn’t be the first time or the last for that matter. 

So here they were in the country club, Oliver was bored out of his mind and his father was busy talking business as usual. Oliver got up from the table unnoticed and headed over to the tennis courts where he knew he’d find his mother. Oliver found her chatting with her tennis instructor, a little too closely to be casual. As soon as Moira noticed him approach she pulled away from, Danny, the tennis instructor. 

“Hey, Oliver.” Danny greeted him and extended his hand forward. 

Oliver shook Danny’s hand, “Hello, Daniel. Mom.” Oliver turned to her and Danny excused himself and quickly left them alone. 

“Hi, honey.” Moira smiled brightly at her son, her cheeks still flushed from the exhaustion of the tennis match. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“Yeah, otherwise you wouldn’t have been here with your _other_ man.” Oliver cut in. 

“Oliver! I demand some respect, I am your mother! And Danny is just a friend.”

Oliver huffed and laughed, “Yeah right. You go on dates with all your friends?” Oliver took a dig at her, knowing that he was right. The blonde woman he’d seen at Verdant was Moira, Danny confirmed it. Oliver didn’t recognized him that night but today he’d seen him and it was most definitely him, the man that was at Verdant with the woman he thought could be, now confirmed as, his mother. Moira seemed legitimately confused by Oliver’s question so he supplied an easy, one worded answer. “Verdant.”

“Oliver, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that night.”

“You’re not even denying it?!” 

“Let me talk! Your father and I are getting a divorce…” 

Oliver couldn’t listen to any more lies. One minute they were getting divorced then they weren’t. Oliver wished they’d make up their minds for once and be done with it. He’d had enough. Oliver walked away in the middle of Moira’s explanation. He was rushing to get away from the country club and he didn’t see her walking by. 

Suddenly Oliver had knocked her down. 

“Ow!” the young woman exclaimed clamping her hands around her ankle. 

“Oh god! I’m sorry. It was totally my fault I didn’t see you standing there.” Oliver bent down to help the girl get up from the floor. 

She was gorgeous. She had long brown hair, pale creamy skin, softly colored full lips and the most beautiful set of blue-ish gray eyes. She was also limping and judging by the look on her face she couldn’t make it to the infirmary on her own. Oliver told her to wait for him there. Minutes later Oliver came back on a golf cart. He helped her get on and drove them to the infirmary. There the nurse assed her ankle and said it was just a sprain. 

Oliver and the girl headed back out to the field and took a seat on an empty table nearby the tennis courts.

He’d learned that her name was Helena. 

“So, Helena, do you come here often?”

She laughed at him. “That’s a terrible line.”

Oliver smiled. “I know but I really want to know. I’ve never seen you here before.”

She eyed him skeptically. “Fine. Yes, I come here all the time.”

“With your boyfriend I’d imagine.”

“Subtle.” She giggled again. “No. No boyfriend. I come here with my father.” 

“Hmm.”

“What about you? I’ve never seen you here before either.” 

Oliver chuckled to himself. “That’s probably because I rarely ever come here. With my father, by the way, just to make this clear, I’m single too.” Oliver winked at her. 

“Oh! I never said I was single.” Helena said. 

Oliver felt all his little confidence fizzle out. Here he was shamelessly flirting with a girl, who was probably out of his league, who was already taken, making a complete and total fool of himself. And then she spoke again. 

“I’m totally kidding. Of course I’m single. Anyways, carry on. What keeps you so busy that you don’t come around here more often?”

“School.” Oliver answered. 

“Ah, yes. I understand. I’m just about to graduate, how about you?”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Really? Where do you go?”

“Elite Way.” Oliver answered and saw Helena’s eyes widen with surprise. 

Helena choked on her water. “EWS?! You’re in high school?!”

Oliver squinted his eyes and tilted his head confused. “You’re not?” Helena shook her head. And now it was Oliver’s turn to be surprised. “You’re in college?!”

“Yes.”

“Wait, then how old are you?” Oliver asked, already kicking himself for doing such a thing. It was common knowledge that you should never ask a female her age, apparently it was rude. Helena didn’t seem to be offended though. 

“I’m 20. How old are you?” 

“I’m 17.” 

“Oh, that’s okay. For a moment there I felt like a cradle robber. In my defense you do look older.” 

“An older babe.” Oliver chuckled. He eyed her face, taking in all her beauty. “And you look younger.”

Oliver’s phone buzzed in his pants. He looked at it and saw he had a couple of missed calls and texts from his father and from Felicity. 

**SHE DEVIL: I HATE YOU!**

**SHE DEVIL: Hey ASSHOLE I have some news!  Meet me when you get back.**

**Dad: We’re leaving.**

“I’m sorry to cut this short but I have to go. I’ll see you around?” 

Helena nodded her head smiling up at him. “You owe me a tennis match for this.” She signaled to her sprained ankle. 

“Deal.”

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 24

* * *

 

Bonus scene: Oliver confronts Felicity after she tells Robert she broke up with Oliver. 

***Scene takes place right after Felicity tells Robert she’s broken up with Oliver but before Oliver heads out with Robert to the country club. ***

Oliver showed up at her dorm room, knocking incessantly on the door. 

“What?” Felicity demanded as she opened the door. He pushed inside without being asked to, she closed the door and leaned back against it. 

They were alone in her room. Sara had a session with Dr. Turner and Laurel was probably in the library. 

“What the hell was that?!” Oliver cornered her behind the door. 

“What? You said I couldn’t be seen ‘cheating’ on you so there I fixed it.” Felicity rolled her eyes. “This is ridiculous.” 

“But what am I supposed to say now whenever we have to go out and perform?”

“Here’s an idea: why don’t you grow the hell up and do something for yourself. Clean up your mess for once in your life! Stop counting on other people to do your dirty work!”  

They stared each other down. A battle of wills. 

“What about your mom?” Oliver tried again. 

“I think she’ll get over it. She never liked you anyways. Besides I’m going out with Ronnie, who I actually _like_.” Oliver’s annoyed huff fanned her face as he muttered something under his breath. “What was that?”

Louder now, Oliver repeated himself. “I said that you only like him because he’s exactly like me.” 

Oliver smirked as he got closer to her face, giving her a chance to realize it herself that he was right. Because they did look an awful lot alike. In fact almost all the things she liked about Ronnie were things they had in common, like their love for music, their looks, their eyes, and now that she noticed they even had the same mouth complete with the little mole on the bottom lip. 

Felicity didn’t back down. She got closer to Oliver, enough that now they shared the same breath. She looked him straight in the eyes. “You’re nothing like him. Get out.”

“Get out!” she repeated. 

Oliver ignored her and mimicked the way Ronnie had kissed her good-bye after their date last Friday. Except that when he grabbed her face her hands came up to grip his wrists, Oliver hesitated for a second to see if she would stop him. She didn’t. He crashed his lips over hers going for her bottom lip. He took advantage of her open mouth and dipped his tongue in hers. 

Oliver was reminded of when she asked him to do what his gut told him to. That day they shared a kiss just like this one. _Hot. Passionate. Wild. Fun._

Oliver pulled away when he needed to catch his breath, “He won’t ever kiss you like that.”

Felicity still catching her breath, “He’s still a better kisser than you.” She answered and pushed his hands down from her face. 

“Uh-huh.” Oliver walked out and left her there feeling infuriated because she let him kiss her. 

 


	25. Jump

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity shares her news. Diggle investigates Mrs. White.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter might be the one that put us on the halfway point of the story. Maybe. I'm not sure yet. Life sort of got in the way of writing this chapter, that's why it took me so long to update. I'll try harder next time.

Laurel Lance’s question of Mrs. White haunted John Diggle's thoughts. He knew that she’d taken a leave of absence but when she didn’t show up for Lance’s mandatory meeting he worried. 

Quentin Lance announced that he’d chosen one of the teachers to be the new Dean of Conduct. The Dean would be in charge of taking disciplinary action with the students and be a mediator between the principal, the students and the patents. As Lance was announcing this Diggle noted Lyla's enthusiasm for the position. But Quentin chose Diggle for the job. 

He was surprised by it but welcomed the challenge anyway. He figured he could use it for the kids' advantage and bridge the gap between the patents and their kids. All the other teachers congratulated Diggle, all but one Lyla Michaels. He thought maybe Lyla wanted the position, of course he’d talk to her about it, see if maybe she wanted to help him out with it. 

Diggle was dead set on finding out what happened with Mrs. White. Everyone else thought it was out of character for her to miss a mandatory meeting. She’d never even been late for work let alone miss any. But no one else was as thorough as John. He got her home address and decided to check it out. 

Apparently Hildy White lived alone in a town house at the edge of the city. Diggle knocked on her door, she took her time but opened the door surprised to find her coworker at the other side. 

“Mr. Diggle! What are you doing here?”

What is it with people and being so proper that they need to call him by his last name? “You can call me John, Mrs. White.” He insisted one more time. “I’m here because you missed today’s meeting with Lance and I was worried something might’ve happened to you.”

“Oh my! The meeting! Was that today?” Hildy twisted her hands, fidgeting nervously. She invited  John to come inside. She offered him some coffee and Diggle gladly took it. They made small talk tiptoeing around what Diggle wanted to ask. 

“So, Mrs. White when are you coming back to work?”

Hildy avoided his gaze and nervously twisted her hands that rested on her lap. “Oh…”

“I know you took a leave of absence, but the kids were asking for you, and I didn’t know what to tell them.” Diggle added. 

“I didn’t take a leave of absence. Mr. Lance suspended me.” Upon seeing the look of John’s face she proceeded to explain how she got suspended in the first place. “I was having a bad day and said something I shouldn’t have and things escalated between me and a student. Then her mother got involved and Lance suspended me. I’ve had some time to think about it and I think it’s time I retired.”

“Is that so? Seriously?”

“Yes. Maybe Ms. Smoak has a point that I’m unfit for the job, and a horrible example for the kids. After the whole thing I can’t say I disagree. After all, the seniors did file a complaint about my teaching methods.”

“If the problem here are your methods, you should change them. You don’t have to retire.”

Hildy sighed, “I don’t know.”

“Come back to work. I’ll help you out.” Diggle promised. 

* * *

 

Oliver was on his way back to school when he received an unexpected call from Ronnie. 

“Hey man, what’s up?” Oliver greeted. 

“Listen, I just wanted to ask you up front if you knew what’s going on with Felicity.”

“Going on? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Everything was going awesome between us and out of the blue she says that I’m free to date whoever I please, she’s going off to London, said she’d be back in January. But I don’t see how that’s possible, I think she doesn’t like me and doesn’t know how to let me down easy. Did you know about this supposed trip to London?”

“Ronnie, calm down. I don’t know what’s going on, this is the first I’ve heard of this.” Oliver tried to calm Ronnie down but it was useless, he wanted to vent and kept going, talking over Oliver. 

“I knew there was something between the two of you. You two have crazy chemistry and spend all day together. You make music together, she texts you when we’re out on dates while I pretend not to notice and the other day you picked up her phone and--”

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow your roll, man.” Oliver interrupted. “Nothing is going between Felicity and I. You two have been on what, three dates?” And Ronnie thought Oliver would get jealous because he asked Felicity out. My, my, my, look at how the tables have turned. Oliver chuckled at the thought. “I’m on my way to school, I’ll talk to her about it. I’ll get to the bottom of this.” Oliver assured him and ended the call feeling an urgency to get back to EWS. 

* * *

 

Felicity had been pacing around, deep in thoughts in the game room while she waited for Oliver. Thinking how to break the news. She’d already told Ronnie but she thought he wasn’t very convinced. In fact he seemed disappointed. And she felt bad, for leaving, and for not asking Ronnie to not date anyone else while she was gone, because she felt it was too soon to ask something so big of him, after all they’d only been on a handful of dates. It’s not like they’re together-together. 

For a while now her father and her had been talking about their holiday plans. They hadn’t spent time together since Felicity’s accident. They talked about the possibility of Noah flying back to Starling for the holidays but when something came up at work their plans were ruined. But Noah found a solution. 

First, he talked to Donna about it and, though she didn’t like the idea of Felicity being far away from her, she said yes. But Donna was concerned about the amount of time Felicity would miss from school, so she told Noah to talk to the principal and clear it with him. 

That brings us to second, Noah talked to Quentin Lance and explained the situation. Lance was understanding and said Felicity could go on her trip but she’d have to take her finals when she came back.  

Oliver interrupted her thoughts when he showed up looking pissed off and to some extent, confused. He stood in front of her by the pool table, where they kissed for the first time, with arms crossed. 

“Why the hell is Ronnie calling me, freaking out about you going to London?” he made air quotes  with his hands when he said ‘going to London’.

Before she could open her mouth to explain Oliver kept going, apparently he had a lot to take off his chest. 

“It’s impossible that you’re going to London. It’s the middle of November! There’s no way you’re being allowed to miss that much school, Ronnie said you’d come back in January.” Oliver still didn’t let her talk. “If this is some ploy you came up with to ditch Ronnie…” Oliver warned. “I know how much you like pretending but he’s my cousin and a good guy so just be honest and tell him the truth, don’t make up lame excuses! A trip to London! Really?! Sinceriously?!”

Okay. Now that pissed her off. 

“Lame excuses? It takes one to know one. If someone knows a thing or two about lying and pretending it’s you! And ‘sinceriously’ that’s not even a word!” Felicity couldn’t let him get away with saying those things about her. “It is not an excuse! My dad can’t make it for the holidays and the only time he could fit me into his schedule was at the beginning of December.” Felicity explained. 

She went into detail of how the plan of going to London came to fruition and how it would work out. Felicity also explained that she didn’t feel like asking Ronnie not to date anyone else while she was gone was appropriate, after all they’d only been on like 3 dates. It felt a little soon. After all that happened with Max she'd learned her lesson on taking things slow. 

Of course Oliver understood that. Ronnie’s overreaction was more than justified. Oliver still stands before her no longer pissed but concerned. 

“But what about our gig at Verdant?” Oliver stepped closer and cupped her shoulders. “You can’t bail on me. I can’t do it without you!” Oliver was aware of how whiny and desperate he sounded but he couldn’t help himself. He had to convince her not to go. “We gotta do something so you don’t go. Your dad can’t just decide to take you away whenever he pleases.” He started offering options that varied from destroying her passport to getting her on the no flying list. 

Felicity couldn’t believe her ears. Was he saying this? Did he mean it? Because it almost sounds like he doesn’t want her to be gone a whole month. Oliver, who she totally backstabbed when she lied to Robert about Oliver’s ‘little Ollie’ issues. 

Great! Now she felt guilty. Felicity felt like she had dry swallowed a giant pill. “You’d do that for me?”

“I don’t have the connections but I’m sure my father could…so maybe...No, I wouldn’t do it for you, I’d do it for us.”

A couple silent heartbeats went by before Felicity broke the silence. “That’s sweet but, this isn’t some- my dad isn’t taking me away. He wouldn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. He asked and I said yes. Because I actually miss him and want to go visit him.”

“And regarding Verdant, I called the manager and I explained the situation and he said it was okay, they were planning on changing the musical entertainment for the holidays. He said he expects us to go back to our regular spot on Fridays starting January. So it’s all taken care of.”

“Oh.” Was all he could respond to that. 

* * *

 

Felicity broke the news to the girls next. And their reactions were completely different from Ronnie’s and Oliver’s.

They were so happy and excited for Felicity. Laurel was particularly eager for her friend’s trip. She wanted daily reports of everything that happened and pictures. Because she wanted to see London too. Sara though excited was more quiet than Laurel. 

“It’s gonna be so boring without you here.” Sara said and pointed to her sister while mouthing ‘major snooze fest'. 

“You better not get into any trouble while I’m gone. Especially with The League. Tell Nyssa that for me.” Felicity warned. 

Sara cackled. “Yeah right. I’m not talking to her until she gives up on disbanding The League.” She shrugged her shoulders, “if she won’t listen I won’t talk. It’s already been a silent week for Nyssa, we’ll see how long she lasts.” 

“Oh Sara.” Felicity laughed. She thought Sara could be extreme at times. 

* * *

 

**One week  later:**

After Thanksgiving break it was only a matter of days until Felicity left for London. She was more than glad to be leaving, especially since she wouldn’t be around her mom all the time. Thankfully bringing Donna’s show from Vegas to Starling kept the woman busy with photoshoots and dance rehearsals. But somehow she always found the time to pop by the school and embarrass Felicity by doing something obnoxious and over the top, you know, like being herself for example. Donna’s show wouldn’t begin until after Felicity came back from the trip. 

Today was Felicity’s last day. She had her bags packed and ready to go. She’d leave early in the next morning so she planned to squeeze in as much time with Sara and Laurel that night. She still went down to The Glades with Oliver that afternoon. They played some songs for the kids and said goodbye. Little Roy even teared up a little saying he’d miss her.  

On the way back Felicity demanded they stopped by Big Belly Burger, they might not have those in London. After that they went back to school and parted ways without saying good-bye. 

Sara and Laurel basically prepared to have a pajama party. Parties weren’t allowed at school but no one was supposed to find out, besides they knew they wouldn’t get in trouble. 

Now it was 1am, Sara and Laurel were both asleep and Felicity was too excited and pumped about her trip to actually fall asleep. While she tossed and turned in bed her phone sorted her she had a text. And indicating by that particular tone it was from Oliver. 

**Asshole: If you’re still up meet me in the secret room.**

Felicity put on her slippers and sneaked out of her room careful not to wake the girls. She managed to get to the laundry room unseen. When she walked down the stairs to the secret room something felt off. The lights were dimmed. 

It was too dark. Maybe Oliver wasn’t there. It certainly was strange of Oliver to text her in the middle of the night. It felt weird being down there, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She searched her pockets to text Oliver back but she realized that in the hurry of sneaking out of her room she’d left her phone behind. 

“Frack!” She whispered out loud. Now she definitely was scared. This had The League written all over it. 

The distinct sound of feet shuffling across the floor made her heart drop to her stomach, surely this was how she was going to get beat up again. She held her breath and braced herself for whatever came next, because she knew she deserved it. Everything she’d done to Oliver from the blackmail to the lying to his father, letting Nyssa be in danger with The League, letting those close around her fight her battles, Felicity knew it would catch up to her. The League would strike back. Felicity wouldn’t even blame Oliver if he’d sold her out to The League, from the moment they met all Felicity had done was make his life miserable. But…Oliver wouldn’t do that, she thought. Oliver was her singing partner, there was at least something good she’d done for him and that was making music together. 

Felicity rooted herself to that spot on the stairs and shut her eyes and accepted her fate. 

The steps got closer and she opened her eyes, too curious for her own good. “Felicity?” Oliver’s face came in to focus as he approached towards the stairs where she stood grounded. “Come on.” Oliver extended his hand to pull her along. 

He too was in his pajamas. Now that Felicity looked around she realized that the room looked dark because it was actually lit up by the little battery operated candles. She took a seat on the sofa, catching her breath and calming down while Oliver put some music on and rummaged trough a bag. 

“What’s all this?”

“Your ‘going away’ party.”

“Why are you doing this?”

Oliver turned around and handed Felicity a beer. “A lunatic girl once told me to do whatever my gut told me to.”

Felicity eyed the beer bottle and smiled then looked back up at Oliver. “If this is my party, can we have it without the alcohol?”

Oliver took back her beer bottle and put them both away. “Have it your way, fun sucker.” He muttered under his breath. 

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to.” Oliver extended his hand, “Come on let’s dance.”

Felicity took his hand just to help herself get up from the couch. She did not want to dance with him. 

“I’m dancing by myself!” she warned. 

Oliver shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.” 

They danced around each other laughing at how ridiculous they looked. Oliver switched the music from dance/electronic to ballads, mostly Coldplay songs. He asked Felicity to dance again. 

“No way! I don’t slow dance.” 

“Did I just find something the almighty Felicity Smoak can’t do?” Oliver teased. 

“No! I can slow dance I just don’t like being lead around.” 

“Come on, humor me.” Oliver insisted until the song was over. She finally cracked. 

“Fine. One song.”

Amazing Day began as Oliver took Felicity’s hand in his and pulled her close to his chest. But not close enough. 

Oliver remembered from his dance lessons, Moira made him take those, that when slow dancing, a waltz for example, you and your partner should be close together, chest to chest. So close in fact that if you were to hold a magazine pressed between your chests it couldn’t be dropped. 

Oliver guided her left hand to his shoulder as his right hand glided on to her waist. He looked down at her, making eye contact, so intensely that it suddenly burned her. She turned her face to the side, staring at their joined hands and rested her forehead on his shoulder. She didn’t realize that her left hand had moved up to the back of Oliver’s head, unintentionally bringing his head lower and closer to hers.   

_We sat on a roof, named every star_

_You showed me a place_

_where you can be what you are_

_And in the view, the whole Milky Way_

_In your eyes, I drifted away_

_And in your arms I just want to sway_

_Amazing Day_

_Amazing Day_

Felicity hummed along with the song while Oliver sang it lowly, almost whispering it in her ear. 

“I feel like I should apologize.” Felicity began, the song had already ended but they kept dancing to Stone originally sung by Alessia Cara. “You’ve been nice to be lately and all I’ve done is stick my foot out to trip you.”

“Ehh…I’m used to it, it’s what my father does best. And besides, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t.”

Felicity felt a pang of sadness hit her chest. “Well for what it’s worth I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it anymore, it’s not what friends do. I’d like to try to be your friend. Hating you it’s so consuming.”

“Friends it is then.” Oliver pulled away smiling down at her, somewhere along the way they had plastered into each other’s chests. 

“Is that my voice?!”

It took her a while to realize that the song they’d been dancing to was the one Ronnie had recorded. Felicity disentangled herself from Oliver’s arms and ran towards the speaker where he’d hooked up his phone. 

“Yeah, I forgot to send it to you. Amazing right?” 

“Indeed.” 

* * *

 

Felicity woke up happier than she’d ever been. She had one last breakfast with the girls. They said their goodbyes both Laurel and Sara teared up. She didn’t get a chance to say goodbye personally to Oliver or to Nyssa. 

She was about to put her phone on airplane mode when she received a text. 

**Asshole: What kind of friend leaves without saying good-bye? That’s rude.**

**SHE DEVIL: Sorry. I left in such a hurry. Thanks for last night.**

**Asshole: It was a nice going away party. A month long Felicity Smoak free vacation. I’m gonna enjoy this! What a great Christmas gift. Ooh I almost forgot. I made you this. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.**

**SHE DEVIL: Merry Xmas and happy holidays. I’m Jewish btw.**

**Asshole: Happy Hanukkah.**

Felicity tapped on the link Oliver sent. It opened up a playlist. 

_‘Jonas & Megan’ _

The playlist contained all of the songs they’d played together at Verdant. A couple of songs Felicity hadn’t heard before and Oliver’s original song ‘I wanna be the rain’. 

* * *

 

**January:**

_Sara Lance please report to the principal’s office._

Sara was excused from class but she never made it to the principal’s office. 

Something or well, someone grabbed her and covered her head with some sort of clothing material, then pulled her into a supply closet. A hand shut her mouth and a low menacing voice told her to be quiet. Sara was genuinely scared that this was Nyssa acting under The League’s orders, it could be Nyssa because it couldn’t be a coincidence that she wasn’t in the classroom when Sara was called to the principal’s office. 

“Surprise!” a familiar voice rang in her ears. 

Sara removed the rag from her head and Felicity stood before her. 

“Oh dear God! Don’t ever do that again.” Sara brought a hand to her chest to calm down her erratic heartbeats. “Wait, what are you doing here? I thought you were coming back next week.”

Felicity wrapped her arms around Sara, trapping her in a bear hug. “I couldn’t wait that long!”

Sara stepped back to look at her friend. She seemed different somehow. “Are you okay?”

Felicity nodded her head. 

“Everything okay with your dad? Did you not like it over there?”

“It wasn’t bad, just not what I expected.” Felicity lied.

She’d been miserable over there. She barely hung out with her dad and when they managed to squeeze some time together she had to share him with his new wife. Hell, she and Elizabeth spent more time together than she did with her father. Elizabeth was nice and had a charming personality, so at least Felicity had a good time with her step-mom. They even got make overs together, Elizabeth dyed her hair a coppery red and Felicity got purple streaks on hers. 

Sara could sense Felicity was hiding something. “Are you sure you’re okay? Why’d you come back earlier? And more importantly why are we _hiding_?”

“We’re hiding because no one knows I’m back.”

“Not even your mom?!”

“Nope.” Felicity smiled. “I told my dad I wanted to come back earlier to surprise her but I really missed you guys.” Sara hugged her this time. 

“Can I say something strange?” Felicity asked, Sara nodded and waited for her response. “I missed…Nah, forget it. It’s stupid.”

“No, come on. Tell me!” _Was she about to say she missed—_

“I- I missed—I missed Oliver! Okay?”

_Wait!_

_What?!_

“You what? I thought there was nothing between you two.”

“And there isn’t. It’s probably because of the party he threw me before I left.” Felicity saw puzzlement in Sara’s gaze and explained what happened that night after she and Laurel fell asleep. 

“So are you saying you like him now? What about Ronnie?”

“Ew! Of course not, Sara. And of course I missed Ronnie too. I’m tired, sill jetlagged.”

“You want me to help you sneak up to the dorms?” Sara offered. 

“And risk anyone seeing me? Hell no. I’m still on vacation I’m not staying here. I’ll just sleep in the secret room. I’m not dying to see my mom either.”

“You should tell her you’re home. She missed you a lot.”

Felicity narrowed her eyes at Sara. “How do you know?”

Sara cringed, she wasn’t supposed to mention this but it already escaped her lips so she might as well spill it. “She spent Christmas with us. Well, all the holidays really.” Felicity made an angry face, “What? Laurel and I happen to like your mom. So does Dad. I think he has the hot’s for your mom.”

“Okay, I’m gonna puke now.” 

“We just didn’t want her to be alone during the holidays.”

“Thanks for looking out for her, I guess. Can’t really be mad at you guys for being awesome friends. Did I tell you I missed you?”

Sara helped get Felicity unseen into the laundry room the rest was up to her. 

Hours later, after dinner, Sara and Laurel went down to the secret room to hang out with Felicity. Sara hadn’t told Laurel that Felicity was back, she wanted to surprise her sister. And she was definitely surprised when they found Felicity had duct taped shut a girl’s mouth and had tied up her hands. 

After getting over the shock of the picture Laurel snapped out of it and hugged Felicity. They were catching up, the girl that was tied up was mumbling in the background. 

“So who is she?” Felicity asked. 

“I’ve never seen her before.” Laurel said. 

“Me either.” Sara agreed. 

“Hey Helena, I’ve brought your favorite: Raviolis from Russo's.” Oliver came running down the stairs and stopped when he heard the struggling sounds Helena made as she strained to untie her hands. Oliver ran over, “Helena?!” He removed the tape from her mouth and held her face between his hands. “You okay, babe?”

“ _Babe?_ ” Felicity questioned out loud. 

Oliver glanced her way. “You did this?!”

“Yep! I’m back, good to see you too. Feel free to thank me later. I might’ve just saved your life. She claimed to be your friend but for all I know she might be here to kidnap you.” Felicity explained as Oliver set Helena free. 

“She’s not here to kidnap me. Don’t be ridiculous! Helena’s my _girlfriend_.” Oliver barked at Felicity. 

“You know her?!” the girl asked Oliver. 

“Unfortunately.” Oliver responded. “Let’s get you out of here. Come on.” Oliver said and took her hand and left the room. 

One month away and this is what she came back to? What the hell happened while she was away?

One thing was for sure, Oliver hadn’t missed her at all. 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fear not, I will tell you what happened when Felicity was away.


	26. 411

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's what happened during the winter break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so delayed due to work and the holidays. (BTW happy holidays and happy new year.) I'm gonna try my best to update frequently. I literally just finished writing this like 5 mins ago. This chapter was so difficult to write I hope you like it. I'm pretty pleased with it.  
> ***For a minute there I thought I'd have to change the rating for this chapter...Wink wink ! But I didn't. In the end I thought it wasn't necessary.  
> All mistakes are mine as I didn't even proof this. I'll edit later I just wanted to get this chapter out of the way so we can move forward.

**DECEMBER/JANUARY: Tommy**

Everyone is supposed to go home for Christmas even when they’re at boarding school. Every kid goes home for the holidays, It’s a rule at EWS. The school takes a break for the holidays and it closes it’s doors. 

Except that this year not everyone can go home. Like Tommy. 

When his father moved to China he sold his mansion. Everything the Merlyns owned was now in a storage facility, which left Tommy homeless for the holidays. 

He had yet to tell Oliver about his father moving to China. Tommy figured that with Felicity gone Oliver would be around more often, but he wasn’t. Tommy hadn’t realized that he’d be alone that Christmas until one afternoon, when they were cramming for finals, that Laurel asked him if Malcolm was coming home or if he was flying to China to be with his father. It was neither. A couple of days later Quentin Lance himself announced that Tommy wouldq spend the holiday break at the Lance household. 

Christmas was fun, which was unexpected. A year ago the idea that Tommy would spend Christmas with the school’s principal at his house and he’d have a good time sounded ridiculous. But it did happen. Mrs. Lance came back for Christmas too. Everyone was there including Felicity’s mother. They had dinner and a small gathering where they were going to exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. Tommy didn’t know they were supposed to bring gifts otherwise he would’ve bought something for everyone. Donna had a little something for everyone as did Dinah, Quentin as well. Sara, Laurel and Tommy had nothing to give to the adults but they kindly accepted their gifts. Tommy was touched that even though he wasn’t family they got him a gift. 

After the gifts were exchanged they all hung out in the living room to watch a Christmas classic movie: Home Alone. Quentin, Sara and Donna hung out together on one of the couches, while Laurel spent time with her mother on the other couch, Tommy had been sitting on the floor in front of the TV, he took advantage of the fact that everyone was busy and slipped out of the living room and headed back to the guest bedroom where he was staying. 

Tommy felt like he was intruding the Lances' Christmas. Tommy missed his mother now more than ever, and he resented his father even more. What kind of person left their kid alone on Christmas?! Tommy empathized with Kevin McCallister because he’d rather be with his annoying family than be alone at Christmas, he wished he could be with his father just so he wouldn’t be alone. 

“Can I come in, Tom?” Lance peek his head through the door. 

“It’s your house, Mr. L. It’s not like I have much of a choice.” Tommy joked and gestured for Lance to come in.

“Hey, you doing okay, son?” Lance took a seat on the bed while Tommy remained seated on the floor by the foot of the bed. “Why are you up here all by yourself?”

“No offense, but I feel like I’m intruding into your family time.” Tommy answered back over his shoulder.

“Nonsense, Tom.” Lance placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder and shook him. “You’re our guest, Laur—We wanted to have you here.” 

“Thanks for having me over in such short notice.” Tommy smiled looking up at Lance. 

They sat there in silence for a while and then Tommy added, “You know, since I was a kid I always thought that one day my father would forget my birthday, or to take a break for the holidays, he’s always so busy… I guess it just hit me right now, he’s not coming back.” His voice trembled a little at that last part. 

“I know. I’m sorry, Thomas.” Lance moved down from the bed and sat down beside Tommy. 

“You know?” Tommy turned to face Lance and looked at him expectantly. “Laurel told you?”

“No.” Lance hesitated before continuing. “Your father did. He told me a while back. That’s the real reason I asked you to spy on Laurel, I figured you’d need a distraction for when your father broke the news.”

Tommy thought back to when Lance asked him to spy on Laurel. That was back in October! And Malcolm told Tommy he was moving to China a month later. “Thanks for looking out for me, Mr. Lance. You’re a better father to me than my own.” 

Lance’s heart both filled with joy and broke in pieces at the same time. “Tom, I want you to know that if you ever need anything, anything at all, you can come to me.” 

“Oh there you are, dad. Mom’s looking for you. She’s heading back to the hotel, she wanted to say goodbye.” Sara barged into the room.

Quentin excused himself and left the room. Sara still stood by the door, staring at Tommy. She looked like she was analyzing him. 

“What’s up Little Lance?”

Sara huffed out in annoyance at the nickname, “Nothing. Just wondering why Laurel pushed so hard to have you here for the holidays if she was going to be avoiding you. What did you do?”

Tommy decided to focus on the fact that Laurel was in fact avoiding him, rather than focusing on the fact that apparently it’d been her idea to invite him to stay with the Lances. “What? I didn’t do anything! Why would you think it’s something I did?”

“Hmm maybe that’s the problem…” She said mostly to herself. “And you’re a guy, it’s always your fault.”

Sara dug into the pockets of her Power Rangers onesie and produced a sprig of green. “Here. Use it, dumbass.”

Tommy grasped it in his hands, it wasn’t until after Sara left the room that he realized she’d handed him a sprig of mistletoe. Did Sara know something he didn’t? Laurel wanted him to kiss her? Did she send her sister to give Tommy a push with that mistletoe? The never ending questions rendered Tommy to do nothing but sit there like a statue. 

On Christmas morning however, Tommy walked downstairs and stepped into the kitchen determined to kiss Laurel. He found her there, alone, by the stove making hot cocoa. 

“Good morning!” Tommy spoke over her shoulder and into her ear.

Her back was towards him so she didn’t see him approach. She yelped. “Oh god! You scared the crap outta me! Merry Christmas.”

It was right there and then that Tommy decided to kiss her. She was still laughing and catching her breath as he pulled out the mistletoe and swung it above their heads. He stepped closer, shut his eyes and pecked her lips. He opened them again and wished her a Merry Christmas. Laurel was wide-eyed and her face was definitely a deep shade of red, but she wasn’t looking at Tommy, she was looking past him. 

“Ahem!”

Tommy’s eyes matched Laurel’s and he turned around to find that Lance and Sara were standing right there. Quentin was not amused by Tommy’s antics, Sara was stifling a laugh. 

Without thinking twice about it, Tommy walked over with the mistletoe still in hand. He stopped in front of Sara and waved the stupid little sprig above their heads. He leaned in and pecked her lips too. “Merry Christmas Little Lance.”

Sara responded by wiping her mouth, “Ew. Merry Christmas, though I could’ve gone without the kiss.”

“Noted.” Tommy grinned from ear to ear, nodded and dared to glance at Quentin. 

“Oh! No thanks, Merlyn. No kiss for me.” Tommy chuckled at Quentin’s response and shook his hand. 

“Yeah, cause he’d rather get one from Felicity’s mom.” Laurel teased. Sara riled her sister up and they continued to tease their father for making googley eyes at Donna. 

Quentin blushed but tried to hide it by chiding his daughters.

* * *

 

Tommy was enjoying the winter break. Christmas had been fun, but new year’s was the one he’d remember more fondly. Tommy had gotten Laurel a little buzzed. 

It was all Tommy’s idea. He swiped a couple of drinks from the adults at the party the Lances were hosting. He and Laurel laid back on the grass at the backyard looking up at the sky. Midnight was still an hour away and Tommy could tell that Laurel was buzzed, after just one drink, because she couldn’t stop talking. It’s not that Laurel was normally quiet, because she wasn’t, in fact she liked to argue a lot. But Laurel never really got too deep or too personal when talking to Tommy. 

She talked about the future mostly and confessed that she wanted to be a lawyer. Tommy had no idea what he wanted, he figured he’d be pushed into the family business to take over the company when his father retires. 

“You’re too quiet, Tommy. What’s wrong?” Laurel asked. She was in the middle of a ramble on how she’d improve the justice system when she noticed that Tommy hadn’t said a word in the last 20 minutes. 

“Nothing’s wrong. On the contrary, it’s perfect.” Tommy locked eyes with Laurel and smiled at her then looked back up to the sky. “This has been the best winter break ever. Thank you, I know  you asked your father to invite me over.”

“Oh, I didn’t ask. It was more of a demand.” She deadpanned. 

“Why did you do it, ask or as you put it, demand your father he invite me over?”

“Didn’t want you to be all alone. I know you haven’t said a word about your Dad to Oliver.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. What he wanted to hear was that she wanted to spend more alone time with him, that she liked him. 

By midnight her buzz was gone, but she still seemed happy. 

They joined the party again, everyone stepped outside to enjoy the fireworks. As the countdown went down Tommy grabbed Laurel’s hand and counted down with her to welcome the new year.  

3, 2, 1. 

Screams and happy commotion surrounded them. Tommy hugged Laurel. 

“Happy New Year.” He said as he pulled back. 

Laurel planted a kiss on his cheek and wished him a happy New Year.

* * *

 

**DECEMBER/JANUARY: Oliver**

A lot of things changed that December for Oliver. It all started after Felicity left for London and he developed a special friendship with Helena. They played that tennis game Oliver owed her for bumping into her and resulted with Helena spraining her ankle. After that Oliver started going to the country club more often with his father, a couple times without him. 

Oliver and Helena tiptoed around each other, always teasing and flirting but no one made a move. Two weeks passed and Oliver couldn’t take it anymore and asked Helena out on a date. She said no at first but Oliver insisted that the age difference didn’t bother him and that it shouldn’t matter to her either, although hesitant Helena agreed. 

Their first date went smoothly and it felt very easy and natural, like they’d been doing it for a while. They had dinner at Russo’s, there Oliver discovered Helena’s fondness for their raviolis. Oliver found it easy to open up to Helena. They could talk about anything at all, he told her all about his music and about Felicity. 

“You talk a lot about this girl. She must be pretty special.” Helena commented. 

Oliver smiled to himself, “She is. I can’t wait for you to meet her, you’re gonna like her.”

“I can’t wait to meet this girl.” Helena said with a smile. “But let me ask you this, did anything ever happen with this special girl?”

Oliver took his time to answer. He settled with, “No, but if she’d stayed…maybe. But enough about her. You’re here and you’re different…with you it’s different. Better.” Helena smiled back at him. 

“Wait, now I’m curious. What makes her so special that you were so into her?” Helena asked. 

Oliver raised his hand to make a point. “Okay, no. Let me explain it to you so you can understand. Felicity is… Felicity. I don’t know how else to explain it, but she’s everything I wish I could be.”

“A girl?” 

Oliver snickered. “ _No._ I meant as a person. She’s so much better at standing her ground and fighting for things.” Oliver paused to look at Helena as he spoke the next few words, making sure that she heard clearly and understood that he meant them. “I wouldn’t say I was into her, I’d say it was more admiration than infatuation. She’s my friend now or at least we’re trying to be.” 

* * *

 

It was Christmas morning and Oliver was having breakfast with his sister while his parents sat at opposite ends of the table each one drinking coffee. Christmas was one of the busiest days of the year for Robert, he and his family were going to be handing out gifts for the less fortunate that day. 

Oliver’s phone chimed, the alert of an incoming text.

**Helena: Merry Christmas Oliver. XOXO hopefully we’ll meet under the mistletoe today?**

**Oliver: Merry Christmas Helena. Today’s a busy day but a meeting under the mistletoe can be arranged. ;)**

 

Oliver was having a great time with Helena. Things were going smoothly for Oliver, too smoothly. Even his parents were being civil with each other. Robert wasn’t being too pushy with him either. It was weird overall. 

Moira was the first to notice the change with Oliver. 

She caught him smiling down at his phone. “What’s gotten you so smitten, Ollie?” 

“Ollie got mittens?” Thea asked pausing from devouring her waffles. “I wanted kitten mittens for Christmas! How come Ollie got mittens and I didn’t?!” 

Oliver’s cheeks flushed pink, he chuckled at his sister’s outburst. “Thea, I didn’t get any mittens for Christmas either.” He explained before his sister even had a chance to ask what smitten meant. “Mom was asking about whether or not I like someone.”

“Oh…Do you?” 

“Of course, and to be clear I’m talking about you, silly.” Oliver rumpled his sister’s hair. “Don’t worry, Speedy. You’ll always be my main girl.” 

* * *

 

They didn’t get to spend new year’s together but Oliver insisted on having dinner that night. Oliver arrived on his bike to Helena’s little apartment near the Starling City bay. He wore dark wash jeans, a gray Henley, his favorite pair of black converse and his leather jacket. Oliver made sure to bring dinner, all Helena’s favorites. Helena greeted him with a kiss and welcomed him to her apartment.

After dinner they moved from the small dining table to the living room couch to watch TV. They lasted all of five minutes before Oliver had his hands all over her and his lips were stuck to her neck. Helena turned off the TV and moved from where she sat beside him to settle on his lap. 

The first time they kissed- Oliver made the first move- it was peck that they shared when Oliver dropped her off at this very same apartment. And now here they were a couple of weeks later making out and grinding on each other, which was as far as they’d ever gotten.

Though Oliver had been with girls before, no one made him feel like he did whenever he was with Helena. Sure he’d grown to like some of his previous girlfriends but what he felt for Helena went deeper. He didn’t just want to make out with her, he wanted to know about her and her life, she made him open up and share whatever was on his mind at the moment. Oliver had never been in love. He wondered if this was it, because it definitely felt like more than liking. 

A particular roll of her hips against his own brought Oliver out of his thoughts. Little Ollie made sure his presence was acknowledged. 

“Oliver.” Helena moaned. 

This was going too fast. Oliver knew he had to talk to Helena about sex and the small detail that he was still technically a virgin. Sure he’d been given ‘gifts’ by previous girlfriends and he’d even given some back but he’d never gone all the way. As gently as possible he pulled away from Helena. 

The way she was looking at him was all he needed for his resolve to vanish. He was on her neck again, raining kisses and lavishing her neck. Her moans made something inside him boil, he wanted to hear her moan his name again so he grinded up against her crotch. He moved his hands down from where they were tangled in her hair to rest at her hips and moved his mouth back to her lips to devour her lower lip. Oliver swayed Helena’s hips applying pressure to relieve some of the tension he’d built by grinding against his groin. 

“Oliver…hmmm” Helena gasped and he just smirked. 

Then Helena took charge and kept grinding against Oliver, hoping to get the same response from him. 

Only she didn’t. 

“HELENA!” Oliver groaned into her chest. 

_Oh no._

Oliver pushed her off his lap and got up from the couch in a hurry. 

“Oliver? What…did you change your mind?” she asked between her ragged breaths. 

Oliver stood behind the couch, cheeks flushed and completely disheveled. 

“Oliver…talk to me. You’re scaring me.” When he didn’t answer she tried again. “I thought we were ready for more…I didn’t push you… I mean do you feel like I’m pressuring you into something you don’t wanna do? Cause I’m totally okay with us not having sex yet.”

“It’s not that.” Oliver finally broke his silence. He was looking down at his feet, he was so embarrassed he couldn’t even look at her. He felt Helena’s hand come up to his cheek, she was still on the couch but was now perched up on the headrest to be face to face with him. 

“What is it, babe?”

Oliver trailed down his eyes to the front on his jeans and Helena followed suit. 

“Oh. Oh! Oliver.” She exhaled when she spotted the wet spot on Oliver’s jeans, she couldn’t contain the giggle that bubbled up. 

Oliver spotted his keys and jacket and reached for them as he put his Henley back on, trying to get out of there and far away as possible. He was so ashamed about what happened, he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. 

“Oliver, come on. Don’t go!”

He stared blankly ahead while Helena pleaded him to stay. 

“I’m sorry I laughed, I swear I didn’t mean to. It’s no big deal, you came in your pants.”

“And you remarking on it makes it even more embarrassing.”

“You don’t have to be embarrassed about that. It doesn’t bother me and it shouldn’t bother you either.” Helena grabbed him by the shoulders and searched his eyes. “Oliver, what’s really going on?”

Damn it! She knew him so well.

Oliver moved away from her and started pacing around the living room. He could feel her eyes burning him. “I don’t – I mean I’ve never- I’ve never.”

“Never what?”

_Oh he was going to regret this._

“I’m sill a virgin!” He half shouted half whispered. 

“Really?” Helena asked and he nodded his head and lowered it so he wasn’t looking at her. “Oh god! Now I feel horrible, I never thought that was even a possibility. I mean you seem to know what you’re doing. I feel like I’m corrupting you!”

Oliver smiled at the praise, “You’re not corrupting me. I’m ready to take the next step…it’s just that you’re older so you have more experience and it’s a little intimidating.” 

Unimpressed Helena crossed her arms over her chest. “It always comes back to this! Oliver, I don’t know how many times I have to say this, I don’t mind that you’re younger than me. It’s only 3 years!” 

“It’s not about age, it’s about experience. I mean what if I’m not enough? What if-”

“Hey, Shh. No, no, no. Babe.” Helena’s hands came up to frame his face. “I’m not gonna judge you, Oliver. You know that right? I just wanna make sure I’m not pushing you to do something you’re not ready for. When you’re ready I’m gonna be right here with you. Besides you’re not the only one who’s nervous about this, it’d be my first time with you.”

“Helena…I’m ready.”

Oliver leaned down to kiss her. And what a kiss it was, it left her breathless. “Now?”

“Now.” Oliver confirmed. 

Helena discarded Oliver’s jacket and shirt and guided him to her bedroom. They took a similar position to the one they had when they were in the living room. Whereas before everything about their kisses was hurried now they took their time to savor each other. 

Things flowed smoothly, Helena made sure Oliver was wearing a condom. And then it was done. They had sex. Oliver was smiling from ear to ear afterwards as they laid together on the bed. Helena traced her fingertips over the tattoo on his chest, and planted a kiss right over his beating heart. 

“I love you.”

He stilled right after he registered what it was that had escaped his mouth. It was probably too soon to say it, and he didn’t mean to say it out loud, it just sort of happened. 

Helena could feel the dangerously fast beating of his heart. “Do you really mean that?”

Not the response he expected, but he answered anyways. “Yes.”

“Kiss me, doofus. I love you, too!” Helena squealed. 

* * *

 

“So, Oliver, when will we meet this mysterious girl of yours?” Robert asked as he and Oliver arrived at the country club. 

Oliver knew it was inevitable to keep Helena a secret from everyone, especially his father. A part of him wanted to introduce her to his family, but he was afraid that Robert would scare her off. Knowing his father he’d probably hire someone to follow Oliver around just to find out where and with who he’d been spending all his free time. The last thing Oliver wanted was to have some creep following Helena around, so it was better if he simply just introduced Helena to his family already. “How’s right now sound?”  

“Is she here?”

“Yeah, we’re playing a doubles match with the Richardson’s twins. ”

Robert hummed approvingly. “Looking forward to it then.”

When Oliver told Helena he wanted to introduce her to his father she refused, saying that it was too soon for meeting the parents. 

Too soon? They’d already exchanged ‘I love you’s’. 

Oliver didn’t push for more, he accepted and respected her decision. Maybe some other day. 

Oliver excused himself with his father for not being able to introduce him to his girl. 

* * *

 

When winter break was over Oliver was excited to go back to school and share the news with Tommy. Tommy, who hadn’t even texted him, well except for the good wishes for the holidays and the new year. But other than that Tommy had been radio silent. It was nice to see Ray too. 

They catched up. Ray told him and Tommy how he spent Christmas with his parents, and though they couldn’t afford to buy a lot of presents they did get him a smart watch. Ray said that he hoped to one day make one of those himself. When it was Tommy’s turn to talk about what he did for the holidays he was very vague about it. He said that he’d had a nice time both of Christmas and New Years day. He also said he had time to binge watch a couple of series on Netflix. When Oliver asked about Malcolm Tommy brushed it off saying that it was same old, same old, workaholic and boring. 

Finally Ray asked Oliver if he’d heard from Felicity, Ray had exchanged a couple of emails but never a phone call or a text, he wondered if Oliver had gotten a phone call. 

“Crushing on Blondie, Ray?” Tommy teased. 

“No!” Ray quickly set him straight. “Now, Oliver, did you hear from her?”

“Not since she arrived in London. She said her phone reception over there was terrible. But no, I haven’t heard from her. She’s due to come back in a couple of days, no?”

“Oh. Yeah she mentioned something about that in one of the emails.” 

Then Tommy proceeded to tease the hell out of Ray over the emails he’d exchanged with Felicity. 

* * *

**DECEMBER/JANUARY: Felicity**

Drafts to Oliver Queen:

December 24:

_Happy Holidays Oliver!_

_I’ve been enjoying the playlist you gifted me with.  Where do you even know these songs from? They’re beautiful. I especially enjoy ‘I wanna be the rain’ as a duet. I still can’t believe you actually wrote that. If I ask nicely, will you tell me if anything or anyone in particular inspired that song?_

_Never mind I prefer not to know._

December 27:

_I can’t believe this. I actually think I miss you._

December 28:

_I talked to Ronnie today though. I miss him too, you know. I miss him more than I miss you, just FYI._

_I pulled a you today, after I got mad at Dad, I grabbed the landline and made a long distance call and talked to Ronnie. (At the moment it seemed like something you’d do if you got mad at your Dad.) We talked for hours. I really like Ronnie. I can’t wait to get back to Starling!_

January 1:

_Happy New Year!_

_I hope the new year brings us more success with our duet, where music is concerned that is. And I mean that sinceriously._

January 3:

_So this is it! Omg! I just realized that we’ll graduate this year!! I’m so excited, I’m already checking on the deadlines for college applications. Yay! What about you? Are excited for college?_

_Oh crap! What’s gonna happen to us when we go our separate ways?! Are we not going to sing anymore? Will we even be friends? Are we friends? Never mind, I won’t be sending this email either._

January 6: Surprise!!

_I came back home earlier, I just arrived in Starling! Why is my Mom’s face plastered all over the city?!_

_I’m not ready to see her. Not that I don’t want to but I’m definitely not eager to. Maybe I’ll drop by the studio and surprise Ronnie, that’d be nice. Which reminds me I don’t have a place to stay. Poop. See you soon._

* * *

 

Felicity did drop by the studio. She asked for Ronnie and he’d just gone on a coffee run. When she told the receptionist that she’d come all the way from London and wanted to surprise her boyfriend, so she exaggerated but it was with good intentions. The receptionist was all up for it and helped her out by letting Felicity into one of the recording booths where Ronnie had been working at. Felicity had to wait until Ronnie came into the booth to surprise him. Finally the door opened.

* * *

 

Ronnie was greeted by the receptionist, “Hey, Ron.”

“Yeah, Mindy. What’s up?”

“Your girlfriend’s in the recording booth.”

 _Girlfriend?_ Ronnie was halfway to the door, he turned back to Mindy. “Caitlin’s here?”

Mindy stood from her chair as Ronnie kept going to open the door. “Who the hell is Caitlin? This is gonna be good! I’m not missing this!” she whispered to herself and followed Ronnie into the booth. 

“Surprise!” 

“What the? Felicity!” Ronnie practically ran over to hug her. “You’re here!”

Felicity squeezed him, “Yep.” She couldn’t stop smiling up at him. 

Since it was so close to dinner Ronnie offered to treat her to dinner. He let Felicity decide choose where they were going. 

“Big Belly!” she practically screamed and Ronnie stared back at her wide eyed. “There wasn’t Big Belly at London.”

They talked a lot during dinner. Felicity told Ronnie all about London. She also told him how much she’d missed him. She even went as far as telling him that she was ready to start dating him again. It didn’t come out as smoothly as she thought it would, but Ronnie was all up for it. 

Felicity’s jetlag was so severe that she was falling asleep on her fries and shake dessert combo. Ronnie was kind enough to wake her up. 

“Hey, you should really get some sleep. You wanna crash at my couch or my bed, I can take the couch.”

“You got a couch of your own?”

“Yeah, Mom and Dad gifted me a down payment for a one-bedroom apartment down by the bay. Come on, you need to get some sleep. Or if you’d rather go to school or your Mom’s?” Ronnie offered. 

“No! I mean, your place sounds nice.”

Ronnie paid their burgers and guided Felicity back to the car. She fell asleep within 5 minutes. Ten minutes later they arrived at the apartment complex where Ronnie now lived. He tried shaking her shoulder to wake her up but she was in a deep sleep state, she could probably sleep through a tornado or something. Ronnie gave her a couple of minutes while he took her luggage inside, when he came back out Felicity was stirring in the seat so he tried again. This time Felicity did wake up, she was more like a zombie really with all the moaning and groaning sounds that left her mouth. 

Felicity changed into her Sherlock PJs and headed to bed. Ronnie took the couch, Felicity wondered if she should’ve insisted that she was fine with sleeping on the couch. But she wasn’t. She needed comfort, provided by a good night’s sleep on a comfy bed. 

The next morning Ronnie made pancakes and coffee. After having breakfast together Ronnie dropped Felicity off a block away from school like she’d requested. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't wait to see if y'all like this.


	27. Solo act?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is in for a rude awakening as her first week back unfolds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up where chapter 25 left off.   
> I had to cut a lot of plot out of this chapter. So this chapter is basically setting up a lot of the stuff that we'll see in the next two chapters. This almost ended up being twice as long but I decided not to force things to speed along. In the end I'm happy with the result.   
> My apologies for taking so long to update but I literally have no time to write. I usually write a little bit everyday in what little time I can squeeze into my schedule. Ramble over. Enjoy this chapter.

Before she even had time to go after Oliver and apologize for her actions Felicity’s phone rang. With that annoying ringtone she especially assigned to her mom she already knew she was in trouble.

“Why is your father calling me and asking to check if you made it back safely?!”

Crap. Just what Felicity needed, to give more explanations. But how could she explain to her mother that she hadn’t missed her, well not that much really, and wasn’t looking forward to seeing her? That seemed harsh even to Felicity, that’s why she opted for a white lie.

“Surprise!” Like that was meant to explain everything and convince her mother.

“Felicity Megan Smoak!”

“Hi, Mom. Yeesh! Calm down! Everything’s fine. I made it back safely and I was just on my way to surprise you but you ruined it!” Total lie. Felicity was still at school, she intended to go after Oliver and -what she now knew wasn’t a kidnapper but Oliver’s girlfriend- Helena to apologize.

It seemed like all Felicity managed to do was screw things up. First, she tied up an innocent girl, and now Donna knew she was back. Time to face things head on and fix her mistakes.

“Mom, are you busy?” Felicity interrupted her Donna’s speech on how could she be so reckless as to fly back alone and unannounced. 

“I’m in between rehearsals. The show opens in a week!” Donna answered with excitement, her tone way more calm than it was before.

“Hmm…well can I meet you at the apartment when you’re done with rehearsals?”

“Of course, Baby girl. I’m so excited to see you. I missed you so much.”

“So I’ve heard.” Felicity muttered.

“Oh, Honey. I’m sorry for ruining the surprise.” Donna apologized before saying goodbye.

Oh, great! Now she felt guilty! 

“It’s okay. I’ll see you later, Mom.” Felicity hung up before her mom could even finish saying goodbye.

With Donna taken care of, now she had to figure out how to apologize to Oliver for what she’d done to his girlfriend.

Girlfriend.

Weird how things could change in such a short amount of time.Felicity didn’t even debrief Laurel and Sara on how she’d gotten back home. And she failed to mention that she’d already spent some time with Ronnie, even agreed on picking up where they left off. And she was excited about the Ronnie development but she also knew that it was imperative that she find Oliver and his girl and apologize to both. Which she wasn’t eager to do but she had no other option, if she wanted to be friends with Oliver, she had to make nice with his girlfriend. Immediately she texted Oliver to check if he was still in school. He didn’t reply. So she hacked the school’s security system to check if she could spot him somewhere around school. She found him along with Helena in the parents room.

* * *

 

She came barging into the room, a babbling mess of words. She addressed Helena directly first.

“Hi, I’m Felicity Smoak. I’m sorry for tying you up.” She extended her hand for Helena to shake. “And had I had more time to think about what to say that wouldn’t have sounded so… anyways!”

Helena eyed her carefully, as if she was waiting to see if she’d be attacked again. “Helena Bertinelli. Not a kidnapper.” She said smirking as she shook Felicity’s hand. “So you’re the famous Felicity. Oliver talks a lot about you.”

“I did say she was crazy.” Oliver finally opened his mouth.

Felicity noticed how Oliver smiled proudly at Helena, and it didn’t escape her attention how he looked at her in disapproval of what she’d done. Even though she’d apologized Felicity could tell that Oliver was still unsatisfied by her efforts.

It kind of hurt that he didn’t seem to care at all that she’d come back home early. She wasn’t expecting a welcome home party or anything but he could’ve shown a little emotion. He barely even reacted to seeing her there. In fact he seemed angry. And his anger was somewhat understandable considering what she’d done to Helena.

“I just wanted to clear the air and apologize to both of you for overreacting. I won’t do it again.” Felicity promised.

“Apology accepted. I think it’s cute that you worry about Oliver.” Helena commented. Oliver remained quiet and furious, obviously not willing to accept the apology.

Felicity laughed uncomfortably to fill the silence. “Well, I’m gonna go now. Bye!” Felicity all but ran out of that room as soon as possible.

Felicity wanted to dislike Helena, based solely on the fact that she was a stranger but she seemed okay. And the fact that she accepted her apologies showed a level of maturity that Oliver lacked. 

She hoped that Helena wouldn’t have a problem with her and Oliver’s partnership/ friendship. The more she thought about it Helena not only seemed but also looked older, older than her and Oliver for that matter. For some reason though, the Bertinelli name sounded vaguely familiar to Felicity. Maybe she’d look into her. But not today, because now she had to go home and deal with Donna.

* * *

 

Felicity bit the bullet that night and went over to her mom’s apartment. Donna squeezed her and took in Felicity’s new look. Donna was not a fan of the purple streaks in her daughter’s blonde head. But she was so happy to have her daughter back with her. Felicity had to listen to her mom go on about how much she’d missed her and how rehearsals for her upcoming show kept her busy. 

Felicity was not looking forward to her mom’s show. When she came to Starling, Felicity wanted to take the opportunity to discover herself while apart from her mother’s shadow. And now here was Donna again, always the center of attention. If the show was a success, Felicity was guaranteed to not be normal, it’d be just like it was in Vegas. Felicity would be right back to square one, the daughter of the successful show girl and failing to meet people’s expectations of her. 

Now more than ever Felicity wanted, needed a distraction. Lucky for her she had Oliver and their gig at Verdant. And of course there was The League, which she still had no idea how to destroy.  Felicity found herself busy with a lot of work to do and very little time to get it done. She’d said she’d disband The League before graduation and she would see to get it done. 

* * *

 

** Tuesday: **

That next morning Felicity told the girls she would catch up with Ray over breakfast, they were welcome to come. Laurel assured that they would join them. 

Felicity went ahead and made her way down to the dining hall to see Ray. She spotted him in his usual table, alone too, as usual. It was way too early and he was the only one having breakfast at that time. Taking advantage of him having his back towards her she put her hands over his eyes, “Guess who?”

Ray dropped his fork, scrambled eggs went flying everywhere. “God, no! NO! NO! NOT AGAIN, PLEASE!”

“Hey, Ray?” She quickly removed her hands off his face and walked around to face him.

Ray had his eyes screwed shut and was a trembling mess repeating over and over the same words, pleading her not to hurt him. 

“Ray, look it’s me. Felicity.” She spoke calmly. 

Ray opened his eyes, darting around the room looking to check if the danger was gone. He focused on Felicity’s eyes, everything else blurred around them. He tried to listen to what was coming out of her mouth but he couldn’t make it out as the only thing he could hear was the blood rushing through his veins, his heart beating erratically and suddenly breathing was becoming a struggle. 

He registered something cold skate on his cheeks, her hands. All he could see was black hoodies and masked faces, all his nightmares coming alive to haunt him. 

She gripped his face a little more force, “Ray! Ray look at me. Easy now, breathe Ray! In, out. Come on.” She demonstrated taking a big deep breath herself.

It wasn’t working. 

Ray’s face was turning pale and red at the same time. Felicity was kicking herself for scaring him, this was all her fault. And now Ray looked like he was about to die and there was nothing she could do to help. 

So she did the only thing she could think of and screamed at the top of her lungs for help.

John Diggle appeared running a couple of seconds after she started screaming, as well as the kitchen staff.

Diggle immediately took charge of the situation. He made Ray sit up straight and put his arms up over his head, and loosened the tie around his neck. Ray struggled to breathe for a couple of seconds until he started catching his breath. Eventually he calmed down and went back to normal.

“Ray. Are you okay? Do you know what happened?” Diggle addressed him.

“Yeah. I’m- I’m okay.” He assured still sounding a little winded and a lot embarrassed. “I’ve just been a little jumpy lately.”

“Jumpy?! Ray, you just flat out had a panic attack.” Felicity bit her tongue to avoid making things worse, of course he knew that, he didn’t need to be told that.

Diggle seemed a little more interested in the ‘lately’ part. “What do you mean lately?”

Ray avoided looking at Diggle. 

“Ray…” Felicity pushed now just as curious as Diggle.

“I’ve been off my anxiety meds-”

“How long?” Felicity jumped in.

“About a week.”

“Did you run out of them? Do you need money to buy them? Does your doctor know you’ve been off your meds?” Now it was Diggle the one that wouldn’t give Ray a chance to explain himself.

“No. I mean I had them. I didn’t run out, but I think they somehow got misplaced or something.”

_Misplaced?_

Maybe more like stolen. Could this be an attack from The League? Felicity kept those questions to herself, she’d have to discuss that with Ray later.

“I’ve never been off my meds for longer than a day, but then two and three days passed without them and I felt better than I’ve felt in years, so I thought it was no big deal. But then Felicity took me by surprise and well this happened. Happy to see you’re back by the way.” Ray ended with a little smile.

Felicity smiled back politely, still mentally kicking herself for frightening Ray into a panic attack. 

“Okay, here’s what’s gonna happen. Ray, I’ll take you to your doctor and make sure you get the medical attention you need after you finish your breakfast in the infirmary. Felicity, you are gonna catch me up on the situation.”

* * *

After escorting Ray to the infirmary Diggle went back to the dining hall to talk to Felicity. 

“It’s nice to have you back, Felicity.” Diggle started off with.

Felicity sighed, “I’m not so sure about that. Since I came back all I’ve done is fuck things up.” 

“Language!” Diggle warned with a stern look.

“Sorry.” She grimaced. 

John managed to get Felicity to explain what happened with Ray and what she meant by ‘fucking things up’.

She told him about her faux pas with Oliver and his girlfriend, but she omitted that it happened in the secret room. He couldn’t help but laugh at that one, even though he was confused about Oliver having a girlfriend other than Felicity. Felicity set him straight and told him that she and Oliver were just partners on a special side project they were working on outside of school. She didn’t go into much detail but she mentioned that they spent a lot of time with kids from the rough side of town. That was nice and unexpected coming from Oliver. 

Felicity wasn’t meant to be back yet from vacation, but she came back early because she missed her friends. She assumed that Oliver had told Ray that she was back, but clearly he hadn’t otherwise she wouldn’t have taken Ray by surprise.

* * *

 

Later that day, during lunch Felicity was listening to Sara talk about… she had no idea what Sara was saying, she was just nodding along. Felicity was actually trying to think of ways to stop The League, at one point in the conversation Sara mentioned something related to Nyssa. That got her attention. Apparently Sara was still not speaking to Nyssa. 

Felicity looked over her shoulder and saw a couple tables over, Nyssa sitting by herself. Sara said that she thought something would go down soon enough. The League couldn’t be quiet all the time, they would eventually start to harass people again. Felicity vowed to be ready for the next strike, especially now that she thought that they were after Ray again. I mean his anti-anxiety meds didn’t just go missing by themselves, someone must’ve taken them. Sara refused to be of help so Felicity turned to Laurel, “You’ll help me, right?”

A waving hand interrupted her field of view. Laurel had not been paying attention to the conversation and had no idea what was going on. She took a bite of the apple she held in her hands and looked to Felicity. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Where have you been? Why aren’t you paying attention? This is serious matter that we’re talking about.” Felicity looked over her shoulder and into the distance where Laurel had been staring off into. Her eyes landed on the table farthest from them, there sat a grinning Tommy with Oliver. 

Felicity squinted her eyes to make sure she was seeing it right. She’d caught Laurel staring, no, giving Tommy Merlyn heart eyes. 

_Wait, what?_

_Was that finally happening?!_

_Did Tommy tell her that he was crushing on her?_

“Hey! Earth to Laurel!” Sara called out. 

“Umm, what?” Laurel questioned. 

“You were staring again… At your boyfriend.” Sara teased. 

“So it _is_ happening then?” Felicity asked out loud.

Laurel’s eyes got wide. “What? _No_. Nothing is happening.” 

“Did something happen?” Felicity asked. 

Sara winked at Felicity and nodded her head vigorously while Laurel shrugged her shoulders. “Yes!” “No!” The Lance sisters answered in unison. 

“Which is it?!” Felicity asked Sara since she was the one that said yes. 

“So you know we told you that we had Tommy over for the holidays. So imagine what Dad and I stumbled into happening in the kitchen on Christmas morning!”

“No way!”

“UH-HUH! Yes way!! We totally caught them making out!”

Felicity looked at Laurel, “Why didn’t you tell me this? So you _do_ like him! Again, why haven’t we talked about this?!”

Laurel put up her hand in protest. “That’s not the whole story, Sara and you know it. One, we were not making out. Tommy surprised me with mistletoe when I was making hot cocoa for everyone. He kissed me, then Sara and Dad walked in and Tommy walked over and kissed Sara too.”

Felicity cackled. Laurel looked so jealous right now as she recalled the events. “This is hilarious. Sara! You _kissed_ Tommy?”

“Eww! No! Argh! Don’t remind me!” Sara shuddered. 

* * *

Felicity had been checking in with Ray via text message. He said that he was fine and that his doctor gave him another prescription for his meds. They discussed the possibility that this was an attack from The League. Ray assured her that The League hadn’t been an issue for him since sophomore year, but he wouldn’t rule it out. Anything was possible where The League was concerned.

Later that day, after class was over Felicity asked Oliver if they were still going to The Glades. 

“Can’t. I already have plans with Helena.”

“Oh. Okay. Then can we meet up after dinner? We have to rehearse if we want to be ready to go back to Verdant this Friday. Plus I have something I wanna run by you.”

Oliver sighed. “Okay. Yeah fine, I guess.” He turned his back to her and left with no goodbye or anything. No ‘see you later’ or a simple goodbye would’ve been enough really. 

_Rude._

* * *

Felicity was looking forward to seeing the kids, after a month long vacation she’d missed them. Little Roy especially, he was her favorite. As soon as she walked through the door that lead to the common room Roy spotted her and ran towards her. 

“LICITYYYYYY!” Roy screamed as he ran over in a blur of red. Felicity crouched down to hug him. 

Unfortunately Felicity missed out on having siblings and when she was little she used to wish to have a little brother. Now it felt like she did. She plastered kisses on his cheeks and ruffled they boy’s hair. 

“What’s with the Ollie look-a-like?” Roy asked as he rearranged his hair and pointed at the guy standing behind her. 

“Roy! Be nice. This is Ronnie.” She introduced him. “He is actually Oliver’s much older cousin.” Ronnie stifled a laugh. 

“Hey, champ.” Ronnie extended his fist for Roy to bump against. 

“Oh god they even sound the same.” Roy complained and bumped his fist with Ronnie’s. 

_No they don’t!_

* * *

After Ronnie dropped her off at school, Felicity went back to her room to hang out with her friends. She catched up on schoolwork as she waited for Oliver to come back from his outing with his girlfriend. The hours passed and still no word from Oliver. 

* * *

** Wednesday: **

Ray and Felicity were having breakfast together, like Felicity originally intended to do the day before. They were caught up with each other on what they did during the holiday break. Finally Felicity asked what she’d been dying to know. 

“Hey, so, umm… what time did Oliver come back?” She tried to ask as casually as possible, but judging from the look on Ray’s face it didn’t come out that gracefully. 

“Just now, right this morning.” Ray said as he chugged down some of his coffee. “He’s been sleeping at his house a lot lately. I know his relationship with his father is a little strained but it seems like it’s turning around, seeing as how much Oliver’s been off campus.” 

“How often is ‘a lot’?”

“Almost every night.”

_Bullshit._

There was no way in hell Oliver would actually go home, much less the possibility that things between him and his father were good. Oliver hated the man, and with good reason, Robert was a terrible father, and horrible person in general. 

But if Oliver hadn’t been home, then where the hell had he been all night?

* * *

That afternoon Felicity cornered Oliver as the rest of their classmates made an orderly exit out of the room. She asked him if he was planning on going to The Glades with her. He said no. 

“But I’ll meet you after dinner for rehearsal.” He said as he slung his messenger bag over his shoulder. 

Okay. She was getting annoyed now. Because it looked like he was getting ready to leave again. But she wouldn’t let him go without giving him a piece of her mind first. If Oliver didn’t want to go to the youth center anymore that was fine by her, but Oliver skipping out on rehearsals was unacceptable. 

Rehearsals were sacred and right now, with the date to perform so close by, was not the time to skip out on rehearsals just because. And since they hadn’t performed or even rehearsed in over a month Felicity had her reservations about their first performance going smoothly.

“That’s what you said yesterday. I waited all night and you never showed up!”

“I told you! I had plans.”

“Well I hope they were more important than your music.” She grit out and pushed past him and made her way out of the room. Hopefully her choice of words would do the trick and snap him back to his place. 

* * *

Ronnie picked Felicity up from school and dropped her off at the Youth Center. He couldn’t stay because he had been called in to the studio but he assured her that he would pick her up. It didn’t sit well with him the fact that he was leaving her alone in the worst part of town. 

Felicity argued that she wouldn’t be alone, and it was true, he knew it was but it still didn’t change the fact that The Glades weren’t safe. 

* * *

Looking to have a chat with Mr. Chen Felicity knocked tentatively on the door frame. Mr. Chen turned around to face her, he was in the middle of a phone call. He signaled her to come in and shut the door behind her. He prompted her to take a seat on the chair across from his desk, all while bickering through the phone. Mr. Chen was all pissed and fired up. He ended the call abruptly, slamming down the phone and dropping onto his chair behind the desk, taking a couple of deep cleansing breaths. 

“Everything okay?” Felicity questioned on his outburst. 

“For now.” He grit out shuffling some papers on his desk. 

“Mr. Chen, what’s really going on?”

Mr. Chen considered his words very carefully, he debated whether to tell her or not but either way she would find out, be it from the source or through rumors. “We might be getting shut down.”

“Huh? How? Why?”

All great questions. 

Mr. Chen explained that the youth center operated with funds provided by the city for after school programs. In the last couple of months they’d been having trouble with the budget. Every month they’d been getting cut backs on the funds. The budget was getting smaller and smaller regardless of how many kids this program helped. Managing the center with the least amount of money was proving to be impossible. 

There’d been rumors about the after school programs getting cut. Mr. Chen was calling to get a meeting with the mayor himself so they could sit down and talk about the situation and how to fix it. But then his call had been passed on to secretaries to assistants and at one point to one of the interns. He figured she had to be an intern because she lacked knowledge of the subject, she was of no help at all. That was why he was so frustrated that he ended the call.

“So that’s it really. Now it’s up to the mayor to give the order.” Mr. Chen concluded. 

“You do know that Oliver’s father is the mayor, right?”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Maybe lead with that when you call again to set up a meeting.”

Of course Felicity wouldn’t let this go. She would set up the meeting herself. 

* * *

** Thursday: **

Oliver never met Felicity after dinner like he said he would. Now Felicity was a simmering pot of rage. She couldn’t make Oliver come to his senses but she could make sure that Mr. Chen got an appointment with Robert Queen.  

Whenever Oliver needed something, any kind of favor or help he reached out to his father’s assistant and she always came through. So the first thing Felicity did was call the mayor’s office and ask for his assistant. Isabel Rochev, nice girl in her late 20s, she was in charge of the mayor’s schedule. If someone needed to be buttered up it was her. Thankfully Felicity knew a thing or two about buttering people up, something probably the only thing she learned from her mother. Well that and how to put make up on. 

So that afternoon Felicity skipped on going to The Glades and went straight to the mayor’s office. She showed up to Isabel’s desk with a muffin basket. 

“Isabel Rochev? Hi, I’m Felicity Smoak.”

“Nice to meet you Miss. How can I be of service?” she asked politely not even sure if she should take the teenager seriously. 

Felicity was midway through explaining how she knew Robert and was about to ask to please set up a meeting as soon as possible for Mr. Chen and Mr. Queen when the door behind Isabel’s desk opened and out walked the man himself. Robert Queen. 

“Ah, Ms. Smoak it’s been a while. Nice to see you.” He greeted her. 

“Robert.” Felicity nodded back at him, the surprised look on Isabel’s face let her know that she’d been doubting Felicity and her word. 

“So what brings you down here? Is something going on with Oliver?”

Felicity smiled at Isabel before addressing Robert. “Oliver is Oliver, he’s okay. I’m here to talk about The Glades, the youth center specifically. You know the one that might be getting shut down. The one where Oliver and I do community service. That one.” 

“What can I do to help?”

“Well you see, yesterday Mr. Chen, he’s the one in charge of the youth center, was calling your office trying to get an appointment with you but-”

Robert brought up a hand to halt her. “Say no more. Isabel,” he turned to his assistant, “Please, set up a meeting with Mr. Chen first thing on Monday, Ms. Smoak can give you his details. Thank you.” And with that Robert exiled himself back to his office. 

* * *

** SHE DEVIL: Dude where are you? **

Two hours later and Oliver still hadn’t reply. 

Well, their performance was bound to be a disaster. 

* * *

** Friday: **

How could he forget? But somehow even with her constant nagging he still managed to forget. It doesn’t matter how or why he forgot- not completely anyways. He did get there, just not on time. Or arguably he got there on time to see her, his partner playing their gig without him.

But that’s not what bothered him. What bothered him is that Ronnie was the one who took his place.

_“Good evening everyone! It’s so good to be back here. As you can see Jonas couldn’t make it tonight.”_ The crowd groaned in disappointment and Oliver’s heart grew a little making his chest feel fuller than it did a second ago. _“But don’t worry Ronnie here,”_ Felicity signaled to Ronnie who sat on a barstool waving his hand and smiling, _“is great too, if not better. Though I might be a little biased.”_ Felicity winked at Ronnie, the audience cheered and laughed while Oliver’s chest hollowed back to its normal state and his blood boiled. 

Oliver pulled up his hoodie and took a seat on an empty table near the stage. He sat there and watched as the whole thing played out. He was furious. Furious that Felicity went ahead without him, that she went ahead without him and replaced him with Ronnie. But above all, Oliver was pissed at himself for failing her and their partnership. He should’ve been there, that should be him on that stage with Felicity.  

A keyboard on the stage caught his attention. Normally when Oliver and Felicity performed he’d play his guitar. That was the only instrument they used, because Felicity didn’t know how to play an instrument, it was just a happy coincidence that she could even sing. And Oliver knew Ronnie could play guitar, bass, and the drums but not the keyboard. So Oliver was intrigued by its presence on the stage. That is until Felicity started playing it.

Since when could she play the keyboard? 

Was this the thing she’d mentioned she wanted to run by him? Did she learn how to play? And if so then why? Did she feel like she wasn’t contributing to their partnership? Oliver could understand if she felt that way because he was the one who could actually play an instrument and now he was even writing songs too. Maybe she felt inadequate, although to Oliver inadequate is not a word Felicity would ever associate herself with. 

Still Oliver owed Felicity those guitar lessons he’d promised her. That could be his olive branch to make up for bailing on her all week.

In his defense Oliver had been busy with Helena. Something had been going on that had her creeped out. She wouldn’t tell him what it was though, which was infuriating because he wanted to help. All Helena told him was that what had her on edge was someone from her past. She said that they didn’t want to hurt her just scare her off.

_“Thank you! Good night everybody!”_  

Felicity’s farewell to the crowd brought him back to reality. Oliver watched as Felicity and Ronnie wrapped up and gathered their belongings. He got up from his chair and decided to wait outside for them.

Finally Felicity and Ronnie walked outside, walking hand in hand towards Verdant’s back parking lot. Oliver walked silently behind them until they arrived to the parking lot and Felicity pointed out two things: Oliver’s bike was there and she and Ronnie were being followed. 

Oliver decided to speak up instead of continuing to creep behind them. “Hey guys.”

Ronnie and Felicity turned, Ronnie was surprised and Felicity unimpressed.

“Hey, man. Where have you been?”

“Busy.” Felicity answered for him.

Ouch. Okay. He deserved that. 

“You two sounded great tonight.” Oliver swallowed back his pride and took another approach since Felicity was clearly mad at him, which he couldn’t really blame her for. 

Of course he didn’t want to admit that Ronnie and Felicity worked better, had more chemistry between them than he had with Felicity. The crowd was more alive that night, more pumped than they ever had been before, all because of Ronnie and Felicity. Oliver took a deep breath before continuing, “Felicity, I didn’t know you could play the keyboard.”

He hoped Felicity wouldn’t see right through him, since it wasn’t like him to complement her. But Felicity being Felicity, she obviously did, even if she didn’t comment on it. She gave him a knowing look that meant that she knew what he was up to. That he needed something and she, being her resentful self, wouldn’t help him out. 

“We’re all full of surprises, aren’t we?” She smiled at him, not meaning it and before he could say anything back she continued on. “So, are we performing next week or will I have to replace you?” 

“I’ll be here.”

There’s no place he’d rather be. Tonight was a wake up call. He wasn’t indispensable, if anything, tonight proved that he was very much replaceable. But even though the crowd loved Felicity and Ronnie she still expected him to show up. It gave him hope, maybe he could fix it. He would make sure to rehearse with Felicity the next week. 

He wouldn’t fail her again, because he couldn’t handle seeing his duet partner sing with another guy. Felicity meant a lot to him, even if he couldn’t stand her most of the time. She was a role model of sorts for him, courageous, fearless, a fighter, a believer. Plus, he couldn’t really hate her, after all she was the one to encourage him to sing in public, the one who managed to push him to write his own songs. Felicity, in theory made him better all around. He really couldn’t do this without her, and she could but apparently she didn’t want to, otherwise she would’ve told him right then and there that she would be replacing him with Ronnie. 

“I promise.” He reassured her. 

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 27

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't leave you hanging for 2-3 weeks so here's what you can look forward to in the next chapter: Oliver actually making an effort, Oliver asking for help, Oliver admitting he's wrong. Felicity makes some very interesting discoveries.


	28. Help!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity are in need of some help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so very sorry for making you wait so long for an update. The truth is that I started working anothher job and I basically have no time off. I love my job but I also love writing this fic which is why I've been writing whenever I get the chance, being during my break or when I show up an hour earlier for my shift just so I can get something done. Anyways, here's the chapter. Enjoy. And please excuse any mistakes I wanted to post this so badly I didn't proof this. :)

Oliver tried to be the first one to show up for the rehearsal but as usual he got sidetracked, this time by a phone call from his father. When Oliver came down to the secret room he found Felicity playing what he recognized as an Alessia Cara song that featured heavily on a piano and showcased some flawless vocals. ‘Stars’ is the name of the song.

Felicity stopped playing as soon as she realized that he was there, which was almost towards the end of the song.

“Wow. That’s …impressive.” Oliver said as he processed what he’d just witnessed.

“The fact that you’re here and on a Saturday? Yeah, it is pretty impressive indeed.” She said as she turned around to face him.

“Yeah, well from now on if you’re here then so will I.” He said in return.

He wasn’t expecting her to be so…salty about it still. Sure, he was prepared to face an angry Felicity, he expected her to be mad but coming face to face with her was not the same. So he did what he could. He apologized once more and they quickly moved on to rehearsing. They decided to warm up first, see where they’re at before deciding on a set list for their next performance.

It had been a little over a month since Oliver last sang with Felicity. And rehearsing with her just now felt different. Not only could she play the keyboard,  now her voice was slightly refined. He’d noticed it that night at Verdant, that her voice was stronger, more confident, powerful even, the tone remained with the same sweet quality but it was definitely more fine tuned and polished. Oliver was impressed.

They managed to agree on which songs to play without having to bicker as much as they usually did.

“What did you do to your voice?” he finally asked.

Felicity eyed him up and down. “What do you mean?”

“I- uh. Your voice it’s different, good different…better. And since when can you play the keyboard?”

“Oh.” She laughed nervously, “That. Yeah, I had a lot of down time during winter break. I usually spent all day listening to that playlist you made. And then I started browsing through YouTube and next thing I know I’m learning how to play piano and then I figured it couldn’t hurt to get some tips on singing too, you know.”

Hmm. So she liked the playlist after all, he wasn’t sure she did seeing as how he never heard from her again… until she showed up and had Helena tied up in the secret room.

“Did you seriously think that Helena was here to kidnap me, is that really why you tied her up?” he chuckled as he asked because it was honestly such a ridiculous thing to ask. He could laugh about it now but when it happened it totally pissed him off.

“Yeah, I mean what other reason is there?” Felicity shrugged her shoulders as she answered. “God that was so embarrassing! I can’t believe I did that.”

* * *

 

**Wednesday:**

Oliver was sticking to his word and making an effort to be present. That Wednesday afternoon Oliver and Felicity went down to the youth center. Just as they were getting off his motorcycle his phone rang.

“I’m gonna go ahead.” Felicity announced.

Oliver looked down at his phone.

‘Hells’ it read.

“Yeah, I’ll catch up in a sec.”

Felicity went inside and headed straight for Mr. Chen’s office. She was anxious to hear how the meeting with the mayor went.

Mr. Chen put her up to speed and cleared things up. The youth center would not be shutting down as long as they could find another way to fund the program. It was out of mayor Queen’s hands to continue supporting the funding of the after school programs all across Starling City. Good news was that they were set up until March. Meaning that they had until March to come up with ways to raise money to keep funding the program. They had time, they would figure something out. One less problem to solve right away at least.

Oliver had yet to catch up with everything that had been going on so Felicity went looking for him. But he wasn’t inside. She headed back out side and found Oliver just how she left him, on the phone only now he sounded frustrated.

“Hells! I can’t help you if you won’t tell- ” Oliver took a deep breath, “Would you just listen! Hells. No. No don’t hang up! Just-”

“I’m guessing she hung up.” Felicity stated the obvious as she carefully approached him.

Oliver just nodded his head in response.

Though she was curious to know why Oliver was so riled up Felicity set aside her questions for later and focused on why she came outside in the first place.

 She told Oliver the whole story about how the youth center might be getting shut down. He was caught off guard just like she’d been when she found out. Felicity explained that Mr. Chen had a meeting with the mayor to find out if and when the program would shut down, it wouldn’t unless they find a way to fund it. They still had no idea how they would do it but Oliver was all up for helping out. Not that it was totally out of character of him to want to help out but it still surprised her how very little he needed to be persuaded before he was convinced.

They stopped by Big Belly Burger on their way back to school. 

Just like old times.

After 10 minutes of boring and polite small talk about school Felicity finally asked what was on her mind. It was driving her insane, she needed to know. “So what’s going on with Helena?” 

She wasn’t expecting Oliver to actually answer her questions. He tended to be heavily guarded with his feelings but apparently he’d been repressing them for far too long and was in need to be heard. He needed to talk to someone who would actually listen to what he had to say.

“I don’t really know. She won’t tell me anything and it’s frustrating you know because I want to help. I wanna be there for her but she won’t let me.”

“Why not?”

“I honestly don’t know. All she’s told me is that ‘someone from her past’ wants to scare her off, to run her off, out of Starling City. I’ve been trying to find out more about it but I always come up with nothing. That’s why I flaked out on you last week. ” Oliver took a big gulp of his chocolate milkshake, “Hey, you can probably help!”

Felicity’s jaw dropped. 

What did he say? 

She shot up her eyebrows questioningly and waited for him to explain.

“You could maybe dig around...Investigate.”

“Investigate?” She repeated.

“Yeah, you know. Like you did when you hacked my computer.”

“Not that I’m agreeing to this- which by the way is a horrible idea- but what exactly am I supposed to be looking for? Hypothetically speaking of course.”

Oliver smiled briefly before giving her the answers that would hopefully convince her to help him out. “Anything out of the norm. Strange phone calls, money transfers, emails, texts, anything that can help us identify who’s harassing her.”

“Oliver this sounds way too serious. Why haven’t you gone to the police?”

“Because Helena has no idea I’ve been looking into this and I don’t know how serious this thing, whatever it is. I don’t want Helena to freak out.”

Felicity thought hard about it. It was awfully intrusive, a total violation of privacy, to be digging around like that in a total stranger’s past. And yeah, she’d done the same with Oliver, but she at least knew Oliver and had a reason to spy on him like that: she hated him. But on the other hand hacking was so fun… she found herself agreeing to do it. “I’ll let you know what I find. But if it’s serious you will go to the police and file a report. Okay?”

“Fine.”

* * *

 

**Saturday:**

Felicity was on cloud nine after an exceptionally great week and Friday night at Verdant had been the cherry on top. Not once did Oliver flake out on her for a rehearsal during the past week, which made their performance flawless. The crowd even gave them their first ever standing ovation. It was awesome. 

But cloud nine would have to wait because last night Ronnie had asked her out on a date. She said yes, of course she said yes. The date would take place that Saturday night, the where was still a mystery. Felicity’s appetite to solve mysteries would have to take a back seat for the time being because she didn’t want to spoil the surprise. She was genuinely nervous and looking forward to it.

She rummaged through her closet, more like emptied it out. Dresses, jeans, skirts and shirts were hanging from the rails of the little loft area in her shared dorm room. And a couple more clothing articles were scattered across the floor or the stairs. 

“Did you lose something?” Laurel asked from the first floor while picking up after her friend’s mess. “Perhaps your sanity?”

“Are you gonna keep cracking jokes or are you gonna help me pick out an outfit for my date?”

Laurel laughed and quickly assured her friend she’d help out. She started out by arranging some options for Felicity. She turned down the first three options, the fourth was a combo of a floral print skirt and blue halter top.

“That’s the one!” Laurel squealed from behind Felicity. “It’s perfect. Out there but not too much, just like you.”

Felicity responded with an equally excited squeak. “Thanks for helping out.” She turned to face her friend. 

“Just happy I could put my big sister skills to good use, you know, since Sara doesn’t really date I have no one to use them on.” Laurel shrugged her shoulders. “It’s no biggie.” 

“It’s funny you say that, I’ve always wanted to have a sister or a brother. To have someone on my side for support whenever I needed it, like right now for instance. I guess it’s nice to actually have friends, good ones around,” She clarified, “and it’s definitely way better than having to rely on my mom for advice. Don’t get me wrong, she’s okay, she’s…well, she’s my mother. But anything that comes out of her mouth is biased.” Felicity ended her ramble with a huff. 

Laurel smiled and brought Felicity in for a hug. “Wow! You are really nervous for this date aren’t you?” 

Felicity nodded as she pulled out from the embrace, “Yeah. I guess… It’s just that it’s been so long since I’ve been out on a date with Ronnie. I mean we have been hanging out a lot lately and when I came back from London we agreed on dating but still. What if there’s nothing between us but friendship? What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Felicity you can’t know that for sure and you won’t know that unless you put yourself out there.”

“Hmm. You know, you give great advice. Maybe you should take your own.” Judging by the surprised and confused look on Laurel’s face she was not expecting that comment. “I know you won’t admit it but I know you like Tommy. What I don’t know is why you won’t admit it. And before you deny anything let me just say this, and we’ll never talk about this ever again. Okay?”

Laurel crossed her arms over her chest, defense mode on. “Okay. Go ahead.”

“That boy is anything but subtle. He likes you, and you know that. I  know that. I don’t know why he hasn’t asked you out yet, probably because he’s an idiot and has his head stuck up his butt.”

“Land your plane, Felicity.” Laurel commanded.

“You should ask him out.”

“Fel-” Laurel wanted to object but Felicity didn’t give her the chance to.

“Like I said, we don’t have to talk about this ever again.” Felicity cut her off and proceeded to get ready for her date. 

* * *

 

Ronnie took her out to dinner at a little Italian restaurant. Felicity had been anxious all day and it’d only gotten worse when Ronnie picked her up from school. He tried to make some small talk about the weather but she was too nervous to actually conjure up a sentence. Thankfully her nerves wore off by the time their dinner got to the table. Ronnie was telling her about his week at work and that soon his band would start auditioning singers to fill the vacant spot. 

Felicity joked about auditioning and Ronnie assured her that if she wanted to join the band she didn’t even need to audition. But mixing business with pleasure was not a good idea. Ronnie knew that first hand. That’s how Firestorm found themselves without a lead singer, that used to be Caitlin’s spot.

“I gotta confess that you definitely surprised me when you came by to the studio. For a second there I expected Caitlin to be the one there waiting for me.”

“Why would you think that?” Felicity asked trying very hard to mask her annoyance. “Did something happen while I was away?” 

“No, not at all. I haven’t hard from Cait since she left Starling.” Ronnie sighed. 

He was screwing things up before he even took a chance on them. Why the hell would you talk about your ex with the girl you’re currently seeing? ‘Because you’re an idiot’ the voice in his head supplied. 

“Ronnie…are you not over her? I just assumed you were seeing as how you were the one to ask me out on a date. I thought you were moving on.” She said now more calmly, her voice soft and eyes full of empathy. One of her hands came to rest atop his own on the table, “I can understand if you’re not. I mean you are doing an spectacularly awesome job at sabotaging yourself tonight.” 

It made sense to Felicity that Ronnie was still hung up on his ex. That would explain why things between them remained friendly and not as flirtatious as they were when they first met.   

“I’m over her, I swear I am.” Ronnie grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s just…that..umm, that day Mindy called you my girlfriend… And I don’t know why she even did that. I mean it’s not that I don’t think of you in that way, because I do…that’s why we’re dating in the first place. I don’t mean to imply that you’re my girlfriend.” He retracted himself, the last thing he wanted was to freak her out. But now it sounded like he wasn’t interested in her and that was just not right at all. “I mean I’d like you to be, eventually.” There! Much better, he thought to himself. 

Wow! So this is what it must be like to talk to her when she goes off on one of her rambles. She doesn’t do it a lot these days, only when she’s nervous. And seeing how cute Ronnie looks all bashful and nervous almost takes away from the fact that he basically just asked her to be his girlfriend. Well, sort of anyways. The point is that he’s still interested. 

“Oh.” Felicity blushed. Now it was her turn to be nervous again. “That’s my fault. I might have told her that I was your girlfriend just so I could sneak into the studio and surprise you.” She laughed nervously and avoided looking at him. She composed herself and spoke again. “I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

“I’m sorry for ruining this, Felicity. The whole point of telling you this was to explain that even though my brain defaulted to what it was used to, Caitlin, when I saw you standing there my heart told me otherwise. I wasn’t disappointed. I was glad to see you.” He smiled fondly at her. “I still am.”

* * *

 

After that things ran much more smoothly. Ronnie was dropping her off back at school.

He pulled over to escort her back inside. 

“I had a good time.” Felicity said signaling that their date was coming to an end.

“Really?” Ronnie was surprised. 

Felicity laughed nervously, “Okay no. That’s a total lie. I gotta admit that dinner was nice and so was my companion, but it was kinda boring.” Ronnie’s hope for another date with Felicity fizzled out, his eyes full of regret fell to the floor looking at his shuffling feet. “But, and this but is a good one,” Ronnie snickered at her accidental innuendo and Felicity realized what that sounded like. 

“Hey! I’m being serious here!” She poked his shoulder.   

“Sorry. Carry on.”

“As I was saying, tonight was enlightening. Maybe for next date we could do something that’s actually fun.”

“You’d go out with me on another date?” Ronnie asked startled by her forwardness. After tonight he was sure Felicity wouldn’t say yes to another date. He was so sure he’d screwed things up beyond repair when he brought Caitlin up.  

Felicity nodded her head. To prove that she meant it, she walked into his personal space and got on her tip toes to reach his handsome face. She grabbed his face and brought him closer and planted a quick peck on his lips. 

Ronnie smiled wildly at her. His eyes full of excitement. When she tore her lips away Ronnie chased after her lips. Her soft pillow like lips and kissed her, like, really kissed her. He brought his arms around her waist and held her tightly. Felicity’s hands explored his back and settled on the back of his neck. They pulled away from the kiss because, hello! Oxygen!

Ronnie took inventory of Felicity’s appearance. Cheeks flushed, lips swollen, what little lipstick remained on her lips was smeared, the missing lipstick was probably smeared on his face. That was certainly a satisfying feeling, seeing what he’d done to her. She was out of breath, as was he, when she spoke up. 

“Damn! Now I really can’t wait for the next date.”

* * *

 

**Sunday:**

Felicity was back up on cloud nine from her date with Ronnie. Not that she could enjoy it much longer cause she had research to do. It required all of her attention. She'd told Oliver she would investigate Helena. She gave him her word and she would follow through or she didn't deserve to be named Felicity Smoak.

After having breakfast and getting caught up with her friends, Felicity headed down to the secret room, her tablet in tow. She didn't know where to start. With so many possibilities she finally decided to start off easy by hacking Helena’s phone. 

Apart from Oliver’s phone number Felicity noticed that another caller was pretty insistent. This number called everyday coincidently enough pretty soon after Helena had spoken with Oliver. But Felicity knew that there was no such thing as coincidence. This was a pattern. 

Felicity made sure to set that phone number aside to investigate it later. Now she was going to hack into Helena’s email. That was even easier than hacking her phone. There was literally nothing interesting in Helena’s inbox or trashcan for that matter. The bank accounts though, those were hefty. Apparently Helena was loaded, with almost as much money as Oliver. But Helena didn’t appear to be so rich, she certainly didn’t come across that way. Maybe Helena’s just isn’t the kind of girl that likes to flaunt all the money she has, which Felicity understands and can relate too. Besides, having a lot of money isn’t a crime. 

Felicity tries to make sense of all the information she’s gathered. For now all she knows for sure is that there’s a mysterious caller and a lot of money involved. It does look shady even if she doesn’t want to see it that way. She chooses to believe that Helena’s innocent until proven otherwise.

Before jumping to conclusions Felicity decides to look into Helena’s family and their past. All that comes up is Frank Bertinelli. The very same one that’s doing under the table business with Oliver’s father. That’s why Helena’s name seemed so familiar! Helena is the daughter of mob boss Frank Bertinelli. 

This was getting even more interesting by the minute. 

Felicity did a quicker but equally thorough search on Mr. Bertinelli. All she knew about him was that he was a mob boss and Helena’s father, and that he was in business with Robert Queen. 

Robert! He was the key here. If there was something fishy going on Felicity had a gut feeling that Robert would be behind it. 

A voice from behind her startled her. “Why are you researching my father?” Oliver asked. 

Felicity all but bit his head off for scaring her like that. While she lectured him on the dangers of lurking on the shadows Oliver already connected the dots in his mind. 

“He’s the one that’s been scaring Helena’s off?!”

“No…I mean…I don’t know. But your father is definitely involved in some very, very shady stuff with Helena’s father.”

 ‘Shady stuff’ 

It triggered a memory. 

A memory of Felicity’s ‘made up story’ that she wrote for ethics. The very same one that was about money and money laundering. The one that made his father nervous. 

“Shady as in money laundering?” 

Felicity nodded her head. “You see Mr. Bertinelli used your father’s mayoral campaign to launder his dirty money...”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

“But, now they’re using the school to launder it.”

“WHAT? How is that even possible?” Oliver moved from behind the couch and took a seat beside Felicity.

She pulled up some files so Oliver could see for himself that, as of a couple months ago, Robert Queen owned 51% of EWS. 

Oliver was surprised. He didn’t know that his father literally owned the school, let alone that he was involved in such shady business. Hell Oliver didn’t even know that Helena was the Helena Bertinelli, the mob boss’ daughter. He sort of felt betrayed, he trusted Helena completely why couldn’t she trust him equally? Why did she have to lie to him? Did she not trust him? Regardless of what he’s feeling right now Oliver focused on the fact that this still doesn’t explain who’s been harassing his girlfriend. 

“Oliver. You’ve been quiet for more than ten minutes…Say something.” Felicity pleaded.

Oliver released a deep breath while running his fingers across his forehead, as if this would somehow help clear his thoughts. “What are you going to do with this information?”

“Nothing.” Oliver raised his head and glanced at her, eyeing her skeptically. “Oliver, I swear I won’t tell anyone about this.” Felicity swore with a hand over her heart. “Unless you wanna report this to the authorities it’ll remain between us.” Felicity offers. She knows that what Robert has been doing is illegal and if he were anybody else Felicity wouldn’t hesitate to contact the police, but Robert is not anyone. He’s Oliver’s father and whether she likes it or not she has to lookout for Oliver, it is the friendly thing to do here. 

“Okay.” Oliver said. It’s not that he wants to protect his father, more than anything he feels forced to stand by. Sure, Robert is a horrible person but deep down Oliver knows that’s his father, the only one he’ll ever get. The one who is supposed to love him unconditionally even if it doesn’t come across that way, Oliver hopes that his father does love him. “What about Helena?”

“I couldn’t find anything on her yet.”

Lies.

She knows she’s lying but she has her reasons for not mentioning anything about that phone number that keeps calling Helena frequently, she has yet to look into it.

“Keep looking then.”

“Aye, Aye, Captain.” Felicity waved a hand. She doesn’t get to it until Oliver finally leaves the room.

It took some digging but Felicity got some info off of that phone number. It was a burner phone. Great. A dead end. There’s no way to track a burner phone, not that Felicity knows of.

But her father might. 

“Hey, Dad. How can I track a burner?”

* * *

 

**The following week:**

Felicity, with the help from her father, managed to track the burner phone. And what she found made her wish she hadn’t. She also found a couple of deposits made to Helena’s bank account, so she followed the money trail. It lead back to the owner of the burner phone. But all the information she found brought up more questions, questions that needed answers before she could go to Oliver with her discoveries. 

So Felicity thought it was better to go to the source: Helena. That’s how Felicity found herself that Thursday night in the parking lot of Helena’s apartment building, which she now realized is the same as Ronnie’s. And it makes sense now, how easily Ronnie’s parents gifted him an apartment. The building is owned by no other than Robert Queen. 

“What do you want Felicity? You said it was important.” Helena asked as she walked towards Felicity.

“I don’t know how else to say this without sounding like a jealous bitch, which I’m not.” Felicity sighed, “Oliver put me up to this.” Felicity warned.

“And what is it that Oliver put you up to?” 

Felicity didn’t answer her question. Instead she asked the one question that had been burning a hole in her head. “What did Oliver’s father pay you a quarter of a million dollars for?” Seeing the concerned look on Helena’s face Felicity caved and clarified that Oliver didn’t know about any of this. Not about his father harassing Helena and not about the money. “I wanted to hear your side of the story before I decide whether or not tell Oliver about this.” 

“Please don’t tell him.” Helena pleaded, “I know how this looks like.”

“Explain then.” Felicity insisted. 

Helena started to explain and as she did she grew more and more emotional, some tears even spilled. “Mr. Queen approached me, saying he needed a favor. Mr. Queen is a close personal friend of my father so I accepted before hearing him out. He asked me to have sex with Oliver.”

“At first I was hesitant. But then I met Oliver, and I got to know him, really got to know him. I-I didn’t plan on going through with it, I couldn’t do that to Oliver. He’s so sweet, you know. I fell for him and I told Robert that he didn’t owe me anything.”

“Skip to the part where you took the money.” Felicity full of rage and disgust demanded.

“It’s not that simple, Felicity. Robert was not happy with the progression of my relationship with Oliver so he paid me off to stay quiet. He told me to break up with him. But because the money was already on my bank account he blackmailed me into it. He threatened to tell Oliver himself.”  

“Why didn’t you tell Oliver about any of this?”

“I couldn’t. I still can’t. There’s no way he’ll ever forgive me for this.”

“You say you love him, that you two are so in love, if that’s true you’ll tell him. Because you know that if Robert tells him about this it’ll destroy him. Tell Oliver. Tell him today. Or I will.” 

* * *

 

End of Chapter 28

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You seriously think I'd be so cruel not to give you another chapter?  
> Chapter 29 will be posted TOMORROW.  
> Sadly that will be all for a while. So expect monthly updates, I'll try to deliver.


	29. Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finds out the truth about Helena. Will she tell Oliver?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot goes down in this chapter...let me know what you guys think in the comments. Thanks!  
> Again, Sorry for any mistakes, this chapter was briefly proofed. And two chapters in one day?! Wild!!

**Friday:**

Oliver never showed up for class, but that’s not what was weird. What was weird was that he wasn’t picking up his phone or answering her texts. 

Felicity was walking through the hallways on her way to class when she accidentally bumped into Moira. 

“Felicity, Darling. Hello.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there Moira. Everything okay?”

“Yeah sure. Maybe you can help me. I’m looking for Oliver. The secretary wasn’t at her desk so I couldn’t have him paged. Could you please get him for me?”

“I would Mrs. Queen but Oliver is not here. I haven’t seen him. I’m not even sure he’s even in school.” Felicity said in a hushed tone looking over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t overheard.

“What? Oh, no, no, no. I swear Oliver has the worst timing!” Moira said a little desperate. “I’m, well, me and Oliver, are supposed to pick Robert up at the airport.”

Hmm. “Give me a minute, I might be of help after all Moira.” Felicity produced her tablet out of thin air and started tapping on it. She managed to track Oliver down to the train station. “I know where he is!”

“Felicity, could you please go get him? Please! He’s supposed to be here when I come back with Robert.”

“I- I…”

“Please, do it for me, Felicity.” Moira batted her eyelashes like an actual five year-old.

“Okay. I’ll do it. But just because you asked me, not because I’m saving Oliver’s ass.”

Moira chuckled wholeheartedly and encouraged Felicity to please go get her son back. Oliver was lucky to have Felicity.

* * *

 

Felicity couldn’t help but feel guilty about Oliver running away to God knows where. Probably Helena told him the truth and he ran. It was his go-to move. _Things get rough: run!_ And in the end it was all her fault, if Helena broke his heart it was all on Felicity. She should’ve told Oliver the second she had all the information instead of pushing Helena to confess. Maybe this whole mess could’ve been avoided. 

The last thing Felicity expected was to find Oliver _with_ Helena at the train station.

But there they were. Together. _They were running away together._

Felicity didn’t get to Oliver in time. She saw them board the train and leave. At least she knew they were headed towards Central City. 

Felicity shot a quick text to Moira to  let her know that she was gonna follow Oliver to Central City and try to get him back. Moira texted back saying that Robert knew something was up the second he realized Oliver wasn’t with Moira. The last text Moira sent said: “I know Robert. He’s going to push until he get what he wants. Please tell Oliver to stop hiding or else Robert will find him.”

* * *

 

“You should definitely grab a shower while the water is still warm.” Oliver said to Helena as he walked out of the bathroom in their hotel room. He was wrapped up in a towel that hung low on his hips and another towel covered his face as he dried his hair.

“No thanks. I’m good.” A familiar voice answered, a voice that was not Helena’s.

Oliver quickly dropped the towel from his head to look at the intruder. “Felicity!? Seriously! What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Helena?” He was getting angrier by the second. What if Helena came back and found him basically naked with Felicity in their hotel room? Felicity was laying on the bed, back propped up against the headboard. How was he supposed to explain that? He came here with Helena to get away from whoever was harassing her. She’d said that she was ready to talk and to explain everything that had been going on. “What did you do?”  He demanded.

She was a little too busy ogling Oliver to answer his questions. She’d already seen him shirtless, already seen his tattoo but she’d never noticed the scarring along his chest. It left her speechless, not because of his scars but because he looked uncomfortable and vulnerable, which he probably was given the fact that he was naked underneath that towel. Felicity was on a roll, checking out his rumpled hair to the drops of water that still clung to the tip of his nose, down his scarred chest going to his sculpted abs, which she’d never noticed before either. Felicity finally stopped when she reached to the deep V that led to dangerous places. 

Before Felicity could answer Oliver’s questions there was a knock on the door. A very insistent knocking. Knocking was putting it mildly, it was more like banging. “OLIVER QUEEN OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!” 

“Why does he know I’m here?!” Oliver shout-whispered. 

“OLIVER I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE WITH HER!” Robert shouted from the other side of the door.

“You would know if you read any of my texts!” Felicity snapped back. “I already cleared it with Helena so don’t worry. Now open the door and let me handle this!” 

Oliver finally opens the door and Robert storms in. “I knew it! I knew you were here holed up with your little slut of a girlfriend.”

“Excuse me?!” Felicity screeched from the bed and walked over towards Robert and stood between him and Oliver.

“Ms. Smoak! I- I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean. I- I. Oliver…I thought you two were over.” Robert said, deeply confused by Felicity’s presence in the room. “Why aren’t you two at school?”

Oliver was about to speak up but Felicity cut him off. “We were. We’re trying to fix things.”

“By running away?” Robert questions.

“Well you’ve left us no choice!” Felicity complained. “Oliver and I… it’s complicated. We missed each other a lot, we realized it over the winter break. I forgave Oliver for sleeping around, it was something he needed and that I could not give to him...but those issues are personal, so... We’ve been trying to fix things between us but between Oliver’s meaningless flings and our meddling parents, this is what we’ve been reduced to.” Felicity explained while Oliver hid quietly behind her. 

Robert didn’t look like he was buying her act. “Just get your things and get dressed. We’re going home.” 

* * *

 

The ride back to Starling was eerily quiet. Robert, Felicity and Oliver sat together in the back of the limo in silence until they arrived back to school. That’s when Robert decided he’d had enough of Oliver’s antics. 

Felicity was babbling away about everything and nothing all at the same time. It blew Oliver’s mind. “Oh my god! Would you just shut up?!” Oliver finally exploded on Felicity.

“At least she’s talking.” Robert grumbled from his seat. “You haven’t said a word since we left Central City, Oliver.”

“Yeah, I don’t plan on talking to you any time soon either.” Oliver spat back and practically jumped out of the car, they’d arrived back at school. 

“Oliver, get back inside the car!” Robert shouted as he scrambled to unfasten his seatbelt. 

“No, no. Let him be. He’ll cool off.” Felicity said trying to stop Robert from most likely murdering his son.

“No he won’t. And stop defending his sorry ass. We both know that he didn’t run away with you. He ran with that… girl he’s been dating. I told him I don’t approve, so what does he do? He runs off into the sunset with this girl.” Robert growled and jumped out of the car, Felicity quickly followed suit.

“OLIVER! Get back here!”  Robert demanded when he catched up with Oliver in the school’s foyer. “I forbid you-“

“You forbid me to do what? Huh?” Oliver cut his father off. “No, I won’t let you handle my life! I won’t be your little puppet anymore. I am so sick and tired of you.” Oliver glanced at Felicity, who stood behind his father, she was silently encouraging him to say more, to get it off his chest. Nodding along Felicity encouraged Oliver to stand up to his father and for once in his life be upfront about things. “Whether you like it or not Helena is the woman I love. The woman I chose to love! And you don’t get a say in how I feel or who I choose for that matter! The second you turn around and leave I’ll be out that door again.”

Robert grinned sardonically. “Love? You petulant child, you know nothing. I’m not going to stand by and watch you throw away your life for that little slut!”

“Shut up! Don’t you dare talk about her. You don’t even know her!” Oliver warned.

“Oh, but I do son. I know her better than you do. Do you want to know how much she cost me? How much I had to pay her to sleep you?”

“You take that back! Those are lies!” Oliver screamed.

“What? You seriously believe you got that girl all on your own?”

Felicity jumped in and tried to stop the pissing match between the Queens, but it was of no use. Oliver and Robert were inches apart from each others’ faces. Felicity stood in front of Oliver and pushed Robert a step back. 

“I don’t believe you.” Oliver jumped around Felicity to get near his father, to punch him in the face. But Felicity was quick to grab Oliver’s jacket and pull him back. 

“Oliver, stop. Don’t. It’s not worth it.” Felicity pleaded. 

Oliver disentangled himself from Felicity’s arms and ran off to his room, leaving his father and the insults he spat back at him behind. 

“Oliver! Get back here! We’re not done!” Robert yelled back at his son. Robert made an effort to follow Oliver but Felicity wouldn’t let him. “Ms. Smoak, I advice you to step away. This is a family matter.”

“Can’t you wait until tomorrow to keep crapping on him?!”

Robert didn’t respond. He barely even reacted to Felicity’s words. He just stepped back, little by little, until he left.

* * *

 

Later that night Felicity had to call Verdant and cancel their gig for that night, saying that she and Jonas had a ‘family emergency’ and couldn’t make it that night. Verdant’s manager said that it was okay that they would figure something out.

Still concerned for Oliver, Felicity went to check on him. She knocked on his door and Tommy answered.

“’Sup, Smoak?”

“Hi.” Felicity answered as Tommy peaked his head out onto the hallway.

Tommy pulled her into his room. “You know it’s against the rules for you to be here!”

“Yeah, I know.” Felicity huffed out and glanced around the room looking for Oliver while Tommy shut the door behind her. “Where’s Oliver?”

“Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing. I haven’t seen him since last night, and he’s not returning my calls or replying to my texts.” 

“That’s weird.” Felicity said and tried to segue the conversation to another topic. She didn’t want to explain all that went down that day. So much drama. So she opted by asking about Ray instead.

Tommy teased her about the nature of her and Ray’s relationship. So immature on his part but Felicity wouldn’t let him get away with that. She in return teased him about Laurel and how much of a wimp he was for not asking Laurel out on a date already. That shut him up quite nicely.

* * *

 

**Saturday:**

Felicity hung out backstage in her mom’s dressing room while they did a quick run through of the show. Felicity and her mom were supposed to meet for a late lunch but rehearsal ran long so now Felicity was starving. She had pizza delivered and that’s how Donna found her daughter passed out from a food induced coma. 

The image brought memories back to Donna. Memories of Felicity doing her homework in her dressing room because she couldn’t do it at home because Donna had to work. She scarified a lot, her daughter didn’t have a normal life. 

Donna ran a hand through Felicity’s hair while she slept the coma off. Donna thought about how grateful she was to have a daughter as exceptional as Felicity. She never complained about missing out on having a normal life, having friends, a steady and present father figure. The last one stuck a nerve to Donna, while she knew Felicity loved her father and understood why he and Donna were divorced, she knew Felicity needed a father who was present and there for her. Felicity never showed any signs of resentment towards her parents and the decisions that they made but Donna suspected that Felicity wasn’t 100% happy. It pained her to know that Felicity was the one who got the short end of the stick while both Donna and Noah got to live out their dreams. So to Donna Felicity was nothing short of awesome. Her daughter was remarkable and she was so proud of her. 

A tear spilled from her eyes as she removed all the excessive makeup.

“Mom? Are you okay?” Felicity asked groggly as she awoke from her nap.

And now Donna let the dam break, Felicity moved up from the couch where she laid and sat on her mother’s lap. Felicity grabbed a tissue and dried her mom’s tears. “Mom. What’s wrong? Don’t tell me you got fired!”

Donna chuckled. “No, No. Honey.” She sighed, “I was just thinking about you and how lucky I am to have a daughter like you. I am so proud of who you are.” Donna hugged Felicity and plastered kisses all over her face. “I was wondering about your future, you know I was reluctant of you moving out here on your own but I see you can handle yourself.”

“So tell me about MIT.” Donna continued, “What are your plans? You gotta have a plan so you don’t turn out like me. Dancing for money.”

“Mom! You make sound like you’re a stripper!” Felicity cackled and jumped from her mother’s lap and pulled up a chair to sit down and talk with her mom. “I don’t know. I don’t really have a plan, I just know that I like computers. I mean I’m good with computers…so I figured I could do something with that, you know, like Dad.”

Donna hummed, “You know, you don’t have to be like your father. Just because you’re good with computers doesn’t mean that you should dedicate your life to that. You should do what makes you happy. What your father does, taking apart computers and building them up again, he does it because it makes him happy _that_ is why he’s good at it.”  

Her mother had a good point. 

Felicity thought about it for a second. Computers were fun but there was something else that made her happy. So when Donna asks her what makes her happy Felicity provides one simple answer. 

_Oliver._

“Oliver?” Donna questions.

Felicity shakes her head, “Not exactly. It’s been a recent discovery, it was an accident really.”

“What is it, Honey?” Donna asked eager to know what it was that had her daughter looking as happy and bubbly as she used to be before the accident that left her in the damn wheelchair. 

Felicity was reluctant to tell her mother that she liked to sing with Oliver. “Before you say anything or jump to conclusions hear me out.” Felicity paused and waited for Donna to acknowledge her. Donna nodded her head and silently agreed to keep her cool. “Okay, well, long story short is that Oliver and I are a singing duet. We even have a steady gig at a restaurant near The Glades, Verdant. And I wasn’t expecting to like it but I do. I really, really do like being on stage singing. I even learned how to play the piano, well technically I’m still working on it…” Felicity rambled on while Donna let out a high pitched squeal.

“Baby, that’s so exciting!”

Felicity just smiled and nodded her head occasionally while Donna rambled on about the entertainment business. 

**Asshole: baby come back.**

**Asshole: I miss youuuu**

**Asshole: I love you**

**Asshole: why would you do this to me?**

Felicity’s phone buzzed incessantly, when she finally checked it she found texts from Oliver. They made no sense. He’s gotta be drunk, laying on a ditch somewhere, Felicity thought. So she had to cut short on her visit. She left in a hurry and headed back to school, where she’d traced Oliver’s cell. 

There was only one place in school where Oliver could be holed up, all alone.

* * *

 

His head hurt. It felt like his brains were pushing up against his skull and there was no way to ease the pain. He’d drank all his alcohol stash so he had nothing to numb it with, which ironically is how he got this headache in the first place. But at least the headache distracted him from the heartache.

The clock on his phone indicated that it was nighttime again. He’d slept all through the day. He woke up every couple of hours to check his phone, to check if Helena had answered any of his messages or returned any of his calls. 

She hadn’t.

He opened up his eyes and realized he wasn’t alone in the secret room. There was a bag on the floor near the sofa that wasn’t there before. Maybe Helena came back. She knew about the secret room, they had spent a whole weekend holed up down there making out and binge watching movies.

“Hells?” Oliver asked out loud in the hopes that he’d get a response from her. 

“Hey, it’s me.” The figure of a blonde approached and his heart shattered to even smaller pieces, if that’s even possible. “Are you okay?”

“Felicity? What are you doing here?”

“You drunk texted me a couple of hours ago.” She extended a glass of some red looking beverage that made his stomach roll. “Here, drink up.”

“What is it?” he scrunched up his nose in disgust.

“Hair of the dog that bit your ass. Hangover cure.” She extended a brown paper bag and he took it. “Bloody Mary and a pretzel.” 

Oliver sipped tentatively from his drink. “It’s true isn’t it?” He asked after a couple of minutes of silence.  

Felicity took a seat on the floor facing him as he still laid on the couch. “What is?”

“That my Dad paid Helena to…get with me.” Oliver said firmly with little to none emotion. “I mean… you knew, right? That’s why you followed me all the way to Central City yesterday.”

Felicity couldn’t look him in the eye so she nodded her head instead. 

“Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?” Oliver asked. And he asked so calmly yet so desperate to know, it moved something in her. She had to explain the whole story behind it. Felicity couldn’t leave him wondering why would Helena do such a thing. Seeing Oliver self-destruct like that, binge drinking into oblivion brought back the memory of when he stole Tommy’s car and ended up in the ER, the image of an unconscious Oliver came up in her head. 

“I tried Oliver, but I felt like it wasn’t my place to tell you that. You should’ve heard it from Helena herself.” She released a deep sigh and continued on. “I talked to her the other day after I managed to track down the burner phone that kept calling her. I ended up with your father’s name and had to dig deeper to find the connection between the two. But I knew I wasn’t getting the whole story so I went to Helena and asked her straight up.”

“Really?” Oliver was impressed. “What did she say?”

“Long story short, it was all a ruse. She didn’t want to do it once she realized she had feelings for you. Your father backed her into a corner and by then Helena felt it was too late to tell you the truth. I wanted to tell you that day, I said I’d give her a day to tell you or I would.”

Oliver processed all the information Felicity gave him. First of all, he was impressed by her and the fact that she went behind his back to Helena. So he gathered that what he shared with Helena was real, but that didn’t change anything. Helena still lied to him and it still hurt no matter how he tried to look at it this would always hurt. And there wasn’t anything he could do about it but accept that it happened and move on from Helena. 

“Thank you.” Oliver raised his glass and drank the remains of the Bloody Mary. “Would you mind leaving me alone now?”

“Sure. There’s more pretzels in that bag.” With that Felicity retreated from the room and hesitantly left Oliver alone even though she knew that was a bad idea, but she had to respect his wishes.

* * *

 

The following weeks remained as normal as possible for Oliver. He showed up late for his classes, as he usually did. He was trying to regain some normalcy back but without his girlfriend it seemed impossible. 

Oliver tried to show up on time for rehearsals with Felicity, and when he did show up it was late and Felicity was already pissed. However, he bailed on performing with her at Verdant, which was stupid because why would he even show up for rehearsals if he wasn’t planning on showing up to the gig? This frustrated Felicity but she understood the first time it happened, so she let it slide. The second time not so much.

Two weeks was too much. She was done, either Oliver was in it or she would replace him with Ronnie. 

* * *

Felicity knew where to find Oliver. And just like she expected he was down there in the secret room. Probably brooding in the dark, she didn’t even bother turning on the lights or even announcing her presence. 

“Oliver.” She said tapping her foot expectantly.

“Oh, hey. Come on, sit down.” Oliver slurred back. “I’ve been waiting for you to show up. Where have you been?”

_Where has she been? She’s been here the whole time! What the hell is he talking about?_

Oliver pulled her closer to himself. She was now enveloped by his arms, his face buried in her neck. She immediately detected the smell of alcohol, he was definitely drunk. 

“Oliver, I’ve been here the whole time. What are you talking about?”

“Hmm.” He started nipping at her neck and inhaling her scent. “Why’d you take so long to come back?” He wasn’t listening to her, he was on a mission. His lips started trailing up from her neck to her cheek, finally reaching their final destination on her lips.

Felicity didn’t push him back or even tried to stop him. She let it happen. Like all things concerning Oliver: she let it slide. It wasn’t until Oliver tried to shove his tongue down her throat that realized what was happening. Which was a lot.

**1\. Oliver was drunk.**

**2\. Oliver was kissing her.**

**3\. She let Oliver kiss her. Again!**

**4\. She is going out with Ronnie.**

**5\. Oliver probably thought she was Helena.**

Finally she pushed him back. “Oliver. Oliver. Stop!”

Oliver stopped but he didn’t let go of her. Instead he clung even tighter to her and whispered on her neck, “Please don’t leave me again, baby. I miss you. Don’t go.”

It was then that her heart shattered. She shouldn’t have gone looking for him. Why did she anyways? Oh right! To give him an ultimatum about their little band. Could it even be considered a band even if it was just the two of them? Of course they can be a band, just look at 21 pilots.

Anyways, so Felicity shouldn’t have gone looking for Oliver, or at least she should’ve stopped him when he put his hands on her. This was a mistake. She had to get out of there. “I have to go. Sorry.” She didn’t explain anything, she jumped up from the couch and bolted out of there while trying to tune out Oliver’s desperate wails.

* * *

 

The next day Felicity went to confront Oliver about what happened. And he was in a piss mood. She was done with his crap.

“This is all your fault! You are the one that always leaves me hanging. I’ve been here, I’ve showed up on time and need I remind you that I’m the one who got us the gig!” Felicity argued.

They were arguing again because Oliver had bailed on Felicity. 

Again.

“I don’t wanna do it anymore!” Oliver finally popped off. “I’m done with everything: The Glades, Verdant, music, You! Helena.”

There it is. The real reason why he’s given up on the one thing she knows that makes him happy. Felicity doesn’t understand why but that bothers her, it lights a fire within her that makes her want to combust. 

“Boo hoo! So you’re brokenhearted. Guess what Oliver. The world doesn’t stop just because you’re feeling sorry for yourself. In order to move on you actually have to move.”

This! This right here is why Oliver hated Felicity. She was younger but obnoxiously wiser and it bothered him that she felt the need to give him advice, especially when he didn’t ask for it.

“Oliver come on! You have to come back. You owe me at least enough to give it a try!”

“Owe you? I don’t owe you shit!”

“Really? After all I’ve done for you?!” Oliver arched an eyebrow at her comment, so she expanded on the subject. “First was helping you out when you wanted to run away like the scared little boy you are, when that happened I gave you this! A safe space, a place to hide. But that wasn’t enough, so, where was I? Oh yeah! Then it was the fake dating. Confronting Helena. And the other week I followed your ass all the way to Central City-”

“I didn’t ask you to do any of that. You did that all on your own.”

“And that’s my point!” Felicity sighed, “I’m your friend so I do things for you, whether you ask or not I do them. I show up, I’m there for you. Now, you… you don’t know how to be a friend. In fact you suck at it.”

They were getting nowhere and Oliver was getting tired of this bickering. “I don’t know what it is that you want from me!”

“Nothing! YOU KNOW WHAT FORGET IT!”

“FINE!”

Felicity was about ready to leave but she had something else she needed to get off her chest. 

“One last thing before I leave.”

“Now what?” Oliver huffed.

“Just own up to your shit! Face it, it is your own fault that your father had to pay a girl to ‘get with you’, if you were a little more open with your father he never would’ve thought to hire you a hooker. You wouldn’t need to sneak around or hide just to play the guitar and you definitely wouldn’t feel the need to get drunk in the middle of the week!” 

“Yeah, well I’m sorry not all of us get to have perfect relationships with our perfect parents.” Oliver complained.

“I don’t have perfect parents nor are my relationship with them perfect. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have to try.” Felicity took a deep breath before continuing, “Oliver, I say this because I care, you need to move on and keep going with your life. Show up, be responsible at least with the things that make you happy. Because you owe it to yourself- not to me- to be happy.”

Her words reminded her of the conversation she had with her mother. There was a reason Felicity had been pushing Oliver so hard and it was because ever since she confessed to her mother that she liked to sing, she was wondering if she had a chance, if this could make her happy. So Felicity was more committed than ever to the band. She needed to know if singing was an option as a career. But in order to find that out she needed Oliver by her side.

* * *

 

**Monday:**

Felicity was surprised when Oliver showed up at the youth center in The Glades. It’d been a week since their last conversation and that left things between them very strained. They hadn’t talked since then so Felicity didn’t expect him to show his face around the youth center in The Glades any time soon. And yet there he was.

Oliver kept to himself. Didn’t even acknowledge Felicity’s presence.

But he was trying. One step at a time, Oliver wanted to make things right but first he had to do like Felicity said, take responsibility of his actions. So he started by sticking to his routine of going over to The Glades. 

Soon after that Oliver started to show up when he knew Felicity would be rehearsing. He would sit in the room and pretend to be doing his homework when really he was taking notes so he could give her some feedback on her progress. He always took notes but he never gave them to her. 

* * *

 

**Thursday:**

Felicity noticed the little notes as they fell to the floor when Oliver stood up to go somewhere, the restroom she figured. Curiosity got the best of her so she took a quick look at them before putting them back on his notebook when her name on a scrap of paper caught her eye. She read the multiple notes, they weren’t that bad either, she didn’t even notice Oliver took notes. They were mostly about how much better she could sound if she were to sing that specific song as a duet. 

Felicity tended to rehearse by herself in the game room- now that she wasn’t doing this with Oliver she didn’t need to hide in order to rehearse- then she would do a quick un through with Ronnie the day before the gig and that was that. It was all she needed since her chemistry with Ronnie was so off the charts everything flowed naturally, they didn’t need as much practice as she and Oliver did. Ronnie was an awesome partner though sometimes Felicity found herself missing having to fight to get things done. 

When Oliver came back Felicity asked him if he had any pointers for her. It was the first time they had talked in two weeks. 

Oliver hesitated before answering looking a little unsure about it. “Actually, yeah, I do.” 

Felicity signaled with her hand for him to go on.

“First of all, this song would sound better as a duet.”

“Okay… What else?”

“That last high note at the end of the bridge you could hold it longer.”

Felicity proceeded to demonstrate. “Like that?”

Oliver shook his head. “Stand up.”

Felicity did as indicated. Oliver grabbed her shoulders and made her keep a good posture. Oliver signaled her to take a deep breath and try it again. She did it, it was better but it could improve. The good posture and the deep breath made her voice sound stronger, more confident but it didn’t improve on her ability to hold a long note.

“Breathe in and fill up your diaphragm. You’ll keep extra oxygen there.” Oliver gently put his hand on Felicity’s diaphragm. “Okay, now try it again. But this time when you hold the note I’m gonna push down here so you’ll know when to start using all this extra air you took in.”

Felicity held the note for all of eight seconds when Oliver pushed down on her stomach and released all the extra air and she held the note for an additional four seconds. 

“That was better.”

Felicity’s eyes widened with wonderment and she giggled. “Whoa!”

Oliver smiled down at her, his hand still on her stomach. “I know, right?” They held their gazes into each other’s eyes. And just for the tiniest bit of a second Oliver’s gaze zones in on her lips as they move, then right back up to her eyes. She was saying something. 

“You’ve been missed. Would you-Never mind.” Felicity said.

“What is it?” Oliver prompted her to continue with her question.

“Would you like to come back? To Verdant, I mean.”

Oliver has to admit that he has missed performing and performing with Felicity. “Sure but what about Ronnie?”

Before Felicity gets a word in they’re getting interrupted. “Yeah, what about me?”

Ronnie stood at the doorway and observed the exchange, he was totally unaware of the placement of Oliver’s hands. Felicity blushed beet red and squeaked, “Ronnie!”

She practically ran over and jumped up to his outstretched arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso and proceeded to pepper kisses along his cheeks. Until she reached his lips then she planted a big smack on them. Ronnie hummed appreciatively. “Hi, babe.” 

Felicity was still getting used to being called ‘Babe’ by Ronnie so she would get flushed whenever he called her that. “Hi yourself, stranger.” Ronnie squeezed her one last time before dropping her back down to the floor. 

“Hi, Ollie.”

Oliver stood there and watch the whole exchange unfold. He waived a hand awkwardly at his cousin. “Hey, Ron.” Oliver was aware that he was totally third-wheeling, he should leave, he was intruding on Felicity and Ronnie’s time together. He was also very much, extremely jealous. Oliver missed Helena and seeing Ronnie and Felicity all happy together, it made him jealous. Oliver longed for his ex, to be as happy as he used to be when he was with her, sometimes it felt like that would never happen again. “I’m gonna get going. See you, Ron. Felicity.”

“No! Wait Oliver, you still haven’t answered my question.”

“I’ll get back to you on that.”

“Okay…Sure. Take your time.”

* * *

 

End of chapter 29

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What dou you think will happen next? *wink wink* It's been a while since we've heard from The League. *wink wink*


	30. Burned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble comes this way: The League.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a lot say so I'll try to make it snappy:   
> 1- I'm very sorry it's taken me this long to update, and OMG this fic is already one year old!   
> 2- Last year around September (September 21st to be precise) we had a total blackout in PR and this year we had to go and up the ante cause we're extra like that. Thus I give you IRMA.   
> Irma has been no joke, it scared the crap out of me but at least I'm safe and so is my family.   
> 3- This update has been in the works since April, I don't even expect anyone to actually read this but here it is anyways.  
> 4- Last but not least I hope to have chapter 31 done by tomorrow or friday.  
> P.S. Those of you who are on Irma's path RUN for your life! I mean it. Stay safe. XOXO, Annie

 

_I knew it was a bad idea!_

_I should’ve stopped her._

_I knew something like this would happen._

Guilty thoughts raced through Sara’s mind as she sat in the waiting area at Starling General. Nyssa was still unconscious after inhaling too much smoke. 

\---Hours earlier---

The initiation was well underway when The League’s leader turned against Nyssa and the senior care-taker. 

“We know what you two have been up to all this time. It took us a while but we figured out you two were working together.”

“What? No! I’m not up to anything! I mean, I just want to take my rightful place with you guys.” Nyssa argued. 

“Save it. It’s not the first time someone’s tried to get in our way.” The leader brought up a hand to halt her. “Now it’s you guys’ turn. Light ‘em up!” He instructed.

It all happened so fast.

Suddenly the whole room filled up with smoke. All the shadows were gone expect for herself and another one. 

The senior care-taker. 

He’d taken the hit pretty bad. He laid on the floor groaning and grunting in pain as he clutched his stomach. “We have to get out of here.” He gritted out, his voice modulator was gone. That voice sounded familiar to Nyssa, familiar enough to recognize.

Between her coughing fits, Nyssa crawled across the room. She was hovering over the culprit’s body, he still wore his hood and his face was covered up with a ski mask. All she could see were those eyes. She knew she’d seen them before but couldn’t figure out on who. The smoke in the room was propagating and getting denser by the second. 

“I don’t have time to explain, Nyssa. I’m gonna need you to trust me. We have to get out of here. This room is too close to the gas line. We could blow up at any second.”

The shadow guy managed to get up off the floor and started looking for a way out. “They locked us in!”  

Nyssa only responded by coughing. Then she couldn’t breathe anymore, she gasped for breath but it didn’t help her out at all. 

“Hey, hey, hey! Nyssa. Nyssa look at me. I need you to calm down so we can get out of here.”

“We’re gonna die!” She rasped out.

“No, we’re not cause I know a way out. Come on.”

“Why would I trust _you_?!”

There was only one way they were getting out of there. If he had to reveal himself to her then he had to do it. It was either that or dying. So he pulled back his hood and took off his mask dreading her reaction.

“Tommy? _Tommy Merlyn_?!” Nyssa gasped out.

It made no sense whatsoever. How could it be Tommy? He always seemed to be so cool and totally not the type to fit in with The League. To say she was shocked was an understatement. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s a long story so don’t ask cause we don’t have the time. Let’s go.” 

Tommy grabbed Nyssa’s arm and made way towards the familiar hidden vent when Tommy felt Nyssa get slower. And Slower. Until she stopped all together, when he glanced back she’d collapsed. 

“Nyssa!!” 

She was unresponsive. Probably due to the smoke inhalation. He also had to get out of there or he would end up like Nyssa. But there was no way he could drag and unconscious Nyssa through the air duct. He needed help and Nyssa most likely needed medical attention. Tommy made up his mind and made a clinical and rational decision. He took off his ski mask and put it on Nyssa to protect her from even more exposure to the smoke and made his way through the exit. He went looking for help.

* * *

 

It was lunch time and no one noticed he’d been missing.

Oddly enough the first person he ran into was Laurel. Thankfully she wasn’t alone, she was accompanied by Felicity.

_Felicity!_

_She could be of help!_

_Perfect!_

Not that Felicity was his friend, but she was friends with Nyssa as far as he knew. So he knew he could count on her for help. After all she was the mastermind that wanted to dismantle The League. That Smoak girl was impressive, not only was she smart, sassy and bullheaded she was also kinda badass. In a matter of months she had managed to rattle The League, something that Tommy lacked the courage to do. 

When Tommy was first approached by The League he declined their invitation. The League made it clear for Tommy that there was no choice to make, they tormented him until he said yes, they went as far as threatening to hurt his best friend. So Tommy accepted their offer. He tried to sabotage them, dropped anonymous hints to Principal Lance about the secret select group but Quentin wasn’t buying it. 

During sophomore year Tommy was assigned as the care-taker of his class. Tommy did horrible things to Ray in order to prove his worth to The League. He wanted to disband the group but he quickly changed his mind when he learned what they were capable of, they had attempted to run one of the bold freshmen kids over. Tommy was spooked and deeply ashamed to be a part of them.

When junior year came around and Tommy was assigned to “take care” of Sara Lance, he put his foot down. There was no way in hell he would harm or harass the younger Lance. He fought The League on that front, he explained that while he understood why the Lance sisters fit the profile/ target, it made no sense whatsoever to target them, not while both their parents worked at the school. The League were impressed that Tommy would pass their test- they weren’t idiots, they were testing Tommy- after that he was entrusted with The League’s records.

Tommy shook his head, trying to block out all feelings he had. With a deep breath and wishing he could explain, Tommy walked over and asked directly asked them to call an ambulance. Felicity looked him over, examining him for any injuries even though he was obviously unharmed. He explained, while avoiding any specifics, that the ambulance was in fact for Nyssa, not him. 

Laurel looked worried while Felicity seemed to doubt him. 

Laurel stepped closer and asked, ”Tommy, what the hell is going on?”

“Please don’t hate me.” He muttered under his breath. “It’s a long story, which I promise I’ll explain later.”

“Tommy.” Laurel whispered trying again to get through to him. 

“It’s bad, Laurel. And I mean really, really bad.” Tommy shook his head and avoided looking at Laurel altogether. “It’s The League.” 

“Is there anything I- we can do to help?”

Tommy raised his head and offered a small smile. “Just…call the ambulance. And look out for Sebastian, if you see him don’t let him out of your sights.” With that Tommy offered some hurried apologies and scurried down the hall to look for Mr. Diggle. 

“So, what’d he say?” Felicity asked as she stared at Tommy’s retreating form.

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Laurel turned towards her friend, “We have to find Sebastian.”

“Nope.” Felicity crossed her arms over her chest, “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

“Felicity! I’m not even sure! Tommy just mentioned The League. I don’t know what’s going on but whatever it is Tommy and Nyssa need our help. Let’s go.”

Her friends needed her help. That’s all Felicity needed to know.

* * *

 

Thankfully when Tommy found Diggle he also found Oliver. 

_Sweet! Two birds, one stone._

“Oh, good. You’re both here.”

Tommy could get the help he needed from Diggle, and he could entrust Oliver to gather the evidence he would need to prove that The League was in fact real. And the best part is that Oliver already has it. He has it at home, in the back of his closet, in the box with the blank papers. Now all Tommy has to do is explain how he got dragged into this mess.

“It’s a long story, and I don’t have time to explain.” Tommy said as he released a deep sigh, already dreading his best friend’s reaction.

“What’s going on, T?” Oliver asked.

“It’s Nyssa. She got in trouble with The League and-”

“The what now?” Diggle asked in confusion.

“What kind of trouble?” Oliver ignored Diggle’s question.

“It’s bad. She’s trapped in a room underneath the school’s kitchen.” Tommy explained but left out the important bits like how he even knew of the existence of such a room. “I tried to get her out but I couldn’t, there was too much smoke and she passed out. I couldn’t carry her through the ducts. I need your help Mr. D.”

“Smoke?!” John jumped up from his seat. “Let’s go! Lead the way.” 

Oliver also followed suit but Tommy held up a hand to stop him. “Ollie. I need you to go home-” Oliver wanted to interrupt again, “Listen! I don’t have time to explain and I need you to trust me.”

“Of course, I trust you Tommy.” Oliver was insulted by the implication that he would do otherwise. 

“The box you hid in your closet. I need you to go get it. Bring it here and hand it over to Principal Lance.”

“Tommy, you’re not making any sense.” Oliver breathed out in annoyance. “It’s a box full of blank papers!” And coming to think of it Oliver never told Tommy about that box. How could he possibly know about it and the fact that it was hidden in his closet back at the mansion?

Tommy’s facial expressions hardened in anticipation for the truth bomb he was about to drop. “They’re not blank papers, they’re written with ghost ink. They’re The League’s records.”

“What?”

“Oliver, I told you! I don’t have time to explain. I may have let Nyssa down there to die. Go. Get the box, I’ll explain later.”

* * *

 

Oliver didn’t want to think much into it, the more he analyzed Tommy’s words the more guilty he looked. Because it pretty much sounded like Tommy was part of The League. They way he talked, it was like he knew more about what happened to Nyssa. And what the hell was that about an underground room? How did Tommy know about it? Apparently said room had a secret way out that Tommy knew about? Oliver had to force himself to stop thinking about it. He dialed his home number and when Raisa picked up he asked her to bring him the box, since he wasn’t allowed to be off campus, all because of that heated argument with his father. 

Oliver was making his way to his room to wait until Raisa came over with the box. Along the way, in the hallway right across from his room, he noticed that a dorm room door was open. That was Sebastian Blood’s room, which he shared with the Dixon twins of the senior class. Oliver peeked his head inside and found that the room was trashed. 

_Weird_.

He walked inside and saw that the beds were flipped over, desks drawers opened and clearly tampered with. 

A crunching sound beneath his shoe made him look down. He stepped back and bent down to pick up what he’d crushed. Glasses. 

_Huh._

Neither Charlie, Sam or Sebastian wore glasses, Oliver recalled. 

Then he realized that he recognized the particular pair. And that sinking feeling set in, they were Felicity’s.

Oliver’s stomach flipped and dropped to his butt. Something must have happened in this room that made Felicity lose her glasses, which he knew she rarely took off.

Oliver stood by the window that overlooked the soccer field as he thought about and wondered how the hell did Felicity’s glasses end up in this dorm room. As if he’d asked the universe to provide some answers, out there in the middle of the field, Oliver spotted what he knew to be Felicity’s ponytail. 

Felicity was being escorted by a guy, probably one of the guys whose room she broke into. Maybe he found her in his room?, Oliver wondered. A harsh yank to her hair and a pained scream in response told Oliver all that he needed to know. Felicity was being dragged across the soccer field, her hands tied behind her back. She was struggling with walking, or more like was refusing to go along where she was being taken. Without another thought Oliver raced out of the dorms and out to the field. 

Things with Felicity were strained to say the least, but seeing her like this made his heart sink. His feelings for Felicity were all over the place ever since they met. It was confusing how much he could hate her and still want to be close to her, it made no sense to Oliver.

Back when things were simpler and they were fake dating, Oliver realized that Felicity was special. There was something about her attitude that appealed to him. Somewhere along the way Oliver caught up feelings, other than hate, for her. Feelings on which he would’ve acted on had she not gone on that trip to London, or if he hadn’t met Helena. Everything went to the crapper after that.

But Felicity never gave up on him or their friendship even when she should’ve, so Oliver had to try. It doesn’t matter how much he hates her sometimes, more often than not Felicity is the one saving his ass. 

Oliver managed to catch up with the guy that had taken Felicity to God knows where or what for. Oliver made sure to keep his distance so he could get a read on the situation. So far all he knew was that Felicity had trashed the guys’ room looking for something, and when Sebastian found her he snapped. 

As Oliver closed in on them, he overheard Felicity accuse Sebastian of being a member of The League.

“Is that what your little friend, Tommy, told you?” Sebastian said, pure malice dripping from his tone.

“Tommy said not to let you outta my sights.” Felicity grunted. 

Sebastian dragged her to the trees that enclosed the soccer field, way out of sights from prying eyes. Oliver swallowed hard, knowing that whatever Sebastian has planned is going to end up with hurting Felicity. 

Arriving to their destination, Sebastian yanked on her ponytail again, “He’s no better you know… I’m gonna let you in on a little secret.” Sebastian leaned in to whisper in her ear, Felicity shuddered goosebumps erupting across her skin. “Tommy is The League.”

He owes her. He remembers Felicity’s words clearly about all she’s done for him, not because he’d asked but because she wanted to, because she’s his friend, or at least she tried to be. Now he couldn’t stand by and let Sebastian hurt Felicity. 

“Hey! Asshole!” Oliver roared.

Sebastian’s hold on Felicity tightened, he reached for his pocket and pulled something out. Felicity noticed the move but couldn’t get glimpse of what it was that he’d pulled out. Her eyes widened at the realization, something pressed up against her back, something cold and definitely sharp. 

“Queenie! Step back! Or I’ll gut your girlfriend!”

“Oliver! Go, get outta here.” Felicity pleaded, the pressure on her back intensified.

“No.” Oliver answered. “I’m not leaving you here with him.”

“Oliver, he has a knife.” She gulped, “He has a knife.” Felicity assured him when Sebastian dug the tip of the knife on her spine.  

Oliver didn’t try anything after that, he didn’t even think of doing anything, he just reacted. Oliver lunged forward and Sebastian kicked Felicity to the back of her knees, her legs giving out leading her to fall on her face. She could barely see anything without her glasses but she could make out the blurry outlines of Sebastian and Oliver throwing punches. 

Oliver got some punches in but Sebastian still had the upper hand seeing as how he was armed and Oliver wasn’t. Sebastian came at Oliver with the knife and almost stabbed him in the shoulder. Oliver grabbed the chance to kick Sebastian in the groin as he tried to regain his balance after he’d missed his target on Oliver’s shoulder.

Sebastian dropped the knife when Oliver kicked him. “Felicity!” Oliver called out as he kicked the knife in her direction.

Felicity rolled over on the floor and scooted to get the knife. Finally, she got it, untying her hands was proving to be a feat but she managed to cut the zip ties. Felicity saw that Oliver was getting his ass kicked. Sebastian had him pinned to the floor, straddling him as he punched Oliver. 

Felicity jumped- literally jumped- into the action, she leapt onto Sebastian’s back and pulled his head back in some kind of headlock. She held him like that until he started gasping for air and stopped punching Oliver. Sebastian fought back for dominance over Felicity. Oliver struggled to get up on his feet, between wobbles and tumbles Oliver got a last punch in and knocked him out. Felicity’s hold on Sebastian loosened and he slumped to the floor.

“Are you okay?” Oliver put his hand on her shoulder to grab her attention, she was distracted by Sebastian’s body laying at their feet. He examined Felicity, she had tears still streaming down her face, her hair was a mess, she definitely looked disheveled but she didn’t seem to be physically hurt. “Did he- Did he?” Oliver couldn’t even finish that question.

“I’m okay. Sebastian slapped my cheek, that was about it. I punched him back.” She proudly assured him. “Are you okay?” her hand lightly skated over Oliver’s split lip and his angry red cheek. 

Oliver nodded yes. 

“Good, now let’s get him back to the office so Lance can expel his ass.” 

* * *

 

A gurney was rolled into one of the ambulances, she didn’t get a chance to see who was on it, she was too distracted by the second gurney that passed by right in front of her. 

Dark and shiny wavy hair she recognized easily. She didn’t need to see her face to know that it was Nyssa, not that she could see her face anyways since it was over shadowed by soot and a mask that was hooked up to an oxygen tank. Mr. Diggle followed closely behind to ride in the ambulance with Nyssa, who looked to be unconscious. 

A crowd of kids had formed behind Sara, wanting to get in on the action. “Move along. There’s nothing to see here.” Ms. Michaels appeared out of nowhere to dismiss them and pointedly stared at Sara to let her know this included her too. 

“What happened?” Sara finally found her voice, shaky and unsure but she spoke up. “Where are they taking her?”

Sara noticed that the paramedics were asking Diggle for a medical history. Sara ignored Ms. Michaels and jumped into the conversation from where she stood. “She’s asthmatic!”

“Anything else? Any allergies to medication or food? Is your friend on medication right now?” The paramedic asking the questions approached her. 

“Her name is Nyssa Al Ghul. She’s fifteen, asthmatic. She had her appendage taken out last year. But no she’s not allergic to anything else at least food related, she is allergic to penicilining?” She recited as if she’d rehearsed it ahead of time. 

“Penicillin.” The paramedic corrected as he took notes on the information she provided. 

“She only takes her asthma medication, twice daily. I have her emergency pump in my backpack.” 

“Okay, good. Well don’t worry about your friend she’ll be in excellent hands.”  

With Ms. Michaels no longer body-blocking her, Sara raced over to the ambulance as they loaded the gurney on it. 

“Don’t even think about it, Ms. Lance.” Diggle, who was already seated inside, warned her. 

“Come on Mr. Diggle! Let me go with you. I promise I’ll stay out of the way, please.”

“I’m sorry Sara but I don’t make the rules. Ms. Michaels will ride with Merlyn and I’ll be here for Nyssa, okay?” Diggle offered.

“Tommy?” Sara asked confused.

The paramedic looked at Sara then back at Diggle silently urging him to wrap it up. “Don’t worry, Sara. I’ll keep you posted.”

* * *

 

Hours Later

Sara was at Starling General’s waiting area with Tommy, Diggle and Ms. Michaels. Tommy had been examined and after being hooked up to an oxygen tank for an hour the doctors gave him the okay to go home. But of course he wasn’t going home, or back to school for that matter. He was sure he was getting expelled and didn’t particularly feel like dealing with that right now. All he could do was worry about Nyssa and the fact that he, too, was at fault for what happened to her. 

Tommy told Sara the whole story about what went down in The League’s initiation and how he got tangled up with Them in the first place. Sara was speechless, partly because she thought Tommy was a selfish snob like every other guy at school, but Tommy was different. His actions proved to her that he was a good guy at heart, sure he was a bit misguided and scared of The League but she understood why he did what he did.

“If I hadn’t been such a wuss…this- all this could have been prevented.” Tommy exhaled and slumped down to cradle his head in his hands. 

Sara shrugged her shoulders even if he couldn’t see her reaction. 

She couldn’t wait in silence for an update on Nyssa’s condition. It had been a while since they’ve been waiting for the doctors to come back with a proper diagnosis. It was driving her nuts. Sara went over all the possible outcomes, and Sara being Sara she chose to focus on the worst case scenario. What if Nyssa woke up but didn’t recognize anybody? Or worse, What if Nyssa was actually dead and the doctors couldn’t just bring themselves to break the news? 

Sara shook her head and willed those horrible thoughts to go away. “So what comes next?” 

“I’ll get expelled.”

“There’s no way, Tommy, you were just trying to help. There’s no way that my dad is going to expel you.”

Tommy huffed out a breath and looked over to where John and Lyla were seated next to each other. Tommy couldn’t make out what they were saying but it most likely wasn’t about Nyssa because they didn’t look as worried as he and Sara did, like at all. In fact they looked like they were enjoying a normal conversation, but the fact that Ms. Michaels looked like she was blushing told him otherwise. 

Tommy elbowed Sara and silently nudged her to look that way. “Is it me or Mr. Diggle has some serious heart eyes going on right now?”

Sara assessed the situation. “It’s not you. But check it out, Ms. Michaels is actually smiling.”

Coming to think of it Tommy had never seen that woman crack a smile.

Ever.

Huh. 

“I ship it.” Sara declared as she smiled fondly remembering when Nyssa first introduced the term to her, she was as confused as Tommy looked right then. 

The moment was interrupted by a doctor. Finally someone was going to update them. “Al Ghul? Anybody here for Nyssa Al Ghul?” 

Sara shot up from her seat as well as Mr. Diggle and Ms. Michaels. 

“We’re the adults responsible for Nyssa Al Ghul.”

Sara didn’t let the doctor talk before she was assaulting him with questions. Ms. Michaels put a hand on Sara’s shoulder and silently asked her to shut up and let the doctor do his job. 

* * *

 

Back at the school…

Principal Lance gathered the whole school to the auditorium so he could address everyone. He told them that it had been brought to his attention on numerous times that a select group of people had been terrorizing and harassing the scholarship recipients. Lance vowed to take care of the situation.  

“Now, I used to think this was some made up story to scare the new kids. But today a life was put at risk and I will tolerate this no longer.” He took a deep breath and calmed down as much as he could all things considered. After all the one who got hurt was one of his daughters’ best friend. “When you hear your name please stand up and join me on stage.” 

As Quentin proceeded to read the names on that list Laurel wondered out loud. “Where is he going with this?” 

Oliver and Felicity sat next to Laurel, both too engrossed in their conversation to actually answer her.  

“So take a good look.” Lance commanded, “These are your bullies. And they will no longer terrorize Elite Way’s hallways.” 

_Thomas Merlyn._

No way Laurel thought. 

_**Please don’t hate me.** _

_**I’ll explain later.** _

_**I promise.** _

Lance turned to all remaining members of The League. “You are expelled, effective immediately. I’ve already called your parents and they’re on their way to come get you. We’ll head back to my office in the meantime.” Once again Principal Lance addressed the school to dismiss them. 

Laurel shook Felicity’s shoulder to get her attention. “What the hell did you two do?” 

Felicity and Oliver both turned to pay attention to Laurel. “What?” Felicity asked.

“Why did my dad just drop Tommy’s name up there? Why would he think that Tommy would-”

Oliver didn’t let Laurel finish that sentence. “Because he did. Apparently Tommy was a member of The League.”  

“You don’t seriously believe that, right?”

“Laurel, I’m not sure what I believe…there’s proof. Seems pretty straight forward to me.” Oliver released a breath, “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Tommy’s lied to everyone. Hell he’s been doing it for years.”

Laurel huffed in disbelief and stormed out of the auditorium. 

* * *

 

Over at the Hospital…

Nyssa’s father had shown up and Mr. Diggle put him up to speed on Nyssa’s situation. The doctor said that Nyssa would make a full recovery. Thankfully the smoke inhalation hadn’t been that severe considering all the time she spent knocked out in that room, that ski mask really helped preserve her lungs. She had yet to regain consciousness so the doctors wouldn’t allow visitors, they only let her father in the room.

Sara was going out of her mind in the waiting area. She’d been texting with Laurel and Felicity keeping them updated and vice versa. 

**Sara: So…Tommy’s getting the boot too?**

**Laurel: Not if I can help it.**

**Felicity: I dunno. Might be hard to convince your dad, no offense but he’s kinda hard headed.**

**Sara: None taken… so is Laurel.**

**Laurel: I’ll take that as a compliment.**

After some begging and groveling- there also might have been some water works- Sara convinced Mr. Al Ghul and the doctors to let her see her friend. Sara was not prepared to face her friend. Sara hadn’t ever been in this position -having to visit someone at the hospital- so she didn’t expect to see her friend looking paler than humanly possible. Nyssa looked so fragile while asleep, she was hooked up with a machine that was pumping her full of oxygen, a drip of saline was in place. Despite the assurance from the doctors Sara found it hard to believe that her friend would be okay when in reality it looked like she was dying, Sara’s eyes filled with tears.

In efforts to calm down, Sara tried to wake Nyssa up by talking to her and bringing her up to speed on what was happening back at school.

“You’re kind of a hero. Heroine.” Sara smiled and walked closer to the bed and clutched one of Nyssa’s free hand. “My best friend.”

“Wake up. Please, you have to wake up” Sara insisted, “I know the doctors said you’re going to be okay, but I need some reassurance.”

Silence. There was only the hum coming from the air duct.

Nyssa kept on sleeping, at least that’s how Sara interpreted it. She tugged on her friend’s hand with a little more force but nothing. 

Tears welled up and she couldn’t fight them anymore, she let them fall freely, after all there was no one else to see her be weak like a total girl. If only Nyssa could see her now, crying her eyes out like a child. Nyssa would tease the crap out of her.

“I have to go back now. I snuck out for you, you know…Jeez! I have to face my Dad, the least you could do is show some compassion for me.” Sara complained as she brushed Nyssa’s hair away from her face.

“See ya.” Sara said while she stroked her friend’s cheek one last time.

Without thinking twice about it Sara raised up the mask that was providing Nyssa with oxygen. Sara was aiming for her cheek but at the last second her lips brushed against Nyssa’s. It was barely a kiss but then again Sara wasn’t the affectionate type, so the fact that she’d pecked her friend meant a lot.

It meant a lot to Sara even though she didn’t realize what she was doing or what it meant for that matter. 

* * *

 End of Chapter 30

* * *

 

Bonus Scene: Lance and the evidence

“Okay.” Principal Lance exhaled deeply still confused and trying to make sense of the situation. “You mean to tell me that Sebastian Blood, who is still unconscious in the infirmary, is the leader of a secret group called The League of assassins-”

“Shadows.” Oliver corrected. Lance shot him a look that had him slumping back in his seat. 

“The League,” Lance resumed, “They’re the group that’s been harassing and bullying the scholarship recipients?” He looked at Felicity and Oliver for assurance as he paced in front of his desk.

“Yes.” Oliver answered, Felicity nodded along. 

Quentin entertained the idea of believing what they were saying, it was unbelievable but he went along with it solely because Felicity assured him, he didn’t believe Oliver not one bit. Lance took a deep breath before continuing. “Okay then. Do you have any proof? Because if I intend on taking this up with the school board I need something more concrete than just testimonies.”

Felicity’s hope crumpled. She couldn’t find anything incriminating in Sebastian’s room. Right now it looked like Tommy might be the only one who could help, but bringing Tommy into this would most likely get him thrown out of school. And where was he anyways? “Sadly we don’t have any evidence. But our testimonies should suffice and let’s not forget about Ray’s either, The League actually made him so unstable he’s on medication.” Felicity pointed out.

“Well then I’m sorry to say that for the time being my hands are tied.” Lance said.

“Why?!” Felicity glared at Lance demanding answers. 

“Watch your tone, Felicity.” Lance warned, “Because our only two sources that can confirm that this secret group exists are on their way t the hospital. There’s nothing I can do right now since Sebastian is also indisposed at the moment.” Lance stopped pacing and faced Oliver and Felicity, they shared proud looks and smug grins between each other. Lance proceeded to question them about who was responsible about knocking Sebastian out. Oliver and Felicity looked at each other both silently agreeing to share the blame, before they could answer Principal Lance’s questions a knock on the door interrupted them. Lance’s secretary popped her head through the door saying something about a delivery for Oliver.

The box!

Oliver jumped from his seat and ran to the door to get his delivery. 

Oliver walked back in to Lance’s office with his precious cargo. “I believe you requested some evidence, Principal Lance. Here you go.” Oliver said as he handed over the box.

Lance looked unimpressed when he opened the box. “Are you kidding me? Queen, why am I looking at blank papers? I thought you said this was evidence.”

Felicity looked as confused as Quentin did a few moments ago. Where was Oliver going with this?

“Actually, sir, those are The League’s records. There you’ll find profiles on all of the members of the organization an all the people they’ve targeted.”

Lance still looked annoyed and Felicity was still confused. 

“Where did you get these?” Lance asked.

“Felicity found them in a secret hideaway under the laundry room.”

“Uh-huh.” Lance grunted in disbelieve. “Okay, then why are they blank?”

“They’re not.” Oliver stated. “They’re written with ghost ink, at least that’s what Tommy said.” Oliver turned to Felicity, “You wouldn’t happen to know how to make ghost ink visible right?”

Felicity didn’t answer, she got up from her chair and moved around Lance’s desk to do a quick search on the web. “Flame. We’ll need a flame.”

“Great! Let’s go to the chem lab!” Oliver exclaimed. Felicity helped him gather the papers and they were on their way out when they noticed Lance hadn’t followed.

Lance was baffled. What the hell was going on in his school? A secret organization of bullies, ghost ink, secret rooms... What the hell? 

Lance was pulled back from his thoughts by Felicity’s voice beckoning him to follow them. 

 


	31. Happy Birthday, María

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't much of a chapter as much as an announcement.

Hi everyone. 

I wanted to let you know that it might be a while until the next update. Here's why, I live in Puerto Rico AKA the fucking hotspots for hurricanes. Not two weeks ago we had Irma pass by real close and now María is coming (much like winter). María is supposed to make landfall sometime tomorrow, we're under hurricane warning. I've never lived to see something worse than Hurricane [Georges](https://youtu.be/RYm4D9aqzNQ) in 1998 and that was a Cat 4. Historically speaking we've never had a hurricane like Maria make landfall either. Maria is coming in really strong with winds up to 160 mph. 

I feel safe in my house. Construction over here is all cement, so we're built to withstand these kind of elements. What worries me is the aftermath, power will be down and the water service will most likely be affected too. The governor said that they will try to work as hard and fast as possible but it will be a while until we have electricity again. (Again, this is something we're used to and are prepared for)

Coincidentally, around this time last year, we had that [massive power outage](https://www.google.com.pr/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/09/21/americas/puerto-rico-power-outage/index.html), I remember that it was my birthday (yay me* sarcasm). Also back in 1998 it was also my birthday when hurricane Georges made landfall. I'm strongly considering pushing my Birthday to October, or I'll just stop having birthdays, I'll be 23 forever! It is law! 

I will continue to write this story, after all I write my best when the power is down cause then nothing distracts me from writing. So hopefully by the time power comes back I'll have a couple chapters ready. Silver lining I guess. 

Much love to everyone. Stay safe.

xoxo,

Annie. 


	32. Peeps!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Announcement!!

Hello my peeps!

I'd like for everyone to know that I'm alive and well. 

After 40 days AFTER the storm, they finally restored my power though half of the island is still in the dark. yay :)

Anyways. Maria was the worst experience ever! The winds were so strong and the water...oh my! So much water. Fortunately I don't live in a floodable (is that even a word? IDK) area, but water did find a way into my home through windows and doors. Cellphone service was none existent up until early October and coverage was super spotty. Now I have cellphone service so I'll be able to do updates and upload some one shots that I wrote. First will be the next chapter of this fic, then I'll upload the other works I started.  

I was very lucky to have been in the dark for 40 days and though I still haven't been able to go back to work because of the lack of power at least I didn't lose my home. There are people that literally lost everyhing. Co-workers of mine had to leave their homes and go to shelters, others had to climb up to their rooftops so they didn't drown in their houses. Some even left the island in search of something better. Not me though, I'm staying because I refuse to let rain and wind ruin my life. I love my job and it cost me a lot to get to where I am so I am not giving up without a fight. If I have to leave eventually I'll do it but not without trying first. 

So you can expect some updates pretty soon. 


	33. The Reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We pick up right where we left off. Here's what happened after The League was disbanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Olicity in this chapter, the muse wasn't feeling it.

As soon as Tommy walked back in to school he was escorted to Principal Lance’s office. Security had practically dragged him along. Tommy was dreading every second that passed by, but he knew that what he wanted to avoid was inevitable. 

“Ah, I see you’re back Mr. Merlyn.” Lance acknowledged once Tommy entered his office. 

It was not lost on Tommy how Lance addressed him with formality, all the comradery and buddy-buddy friendship he had with is ‘in- law’ was gone. Mr. Merlyn. Not Tommy, or Tom. Not even Thomas. He’d been called Mr. Merlyn. This was not good, not good at all. 

He’d been so anxious to hear what Lance had to say that he failed to notice that Lance wasn’t alone is his office.

“Dad?”

Malcolm turned around in his chair and stood up to greet his son, who he hadn’t seen since November, almost two months ago. “I cannot believe you!”

_Yep!_

_That’s how you greet your son after abandoning him_ Tommy thought.

“How long have you ben in town?” Tommy asked. He could be exactly like his father, getting straight to the point while avoiding the elephant in the room. It’s not like he actually missed his father, in fact at this point he hated him more. Tommy knew that his father had to have been in town in order to get here so quickly. “No way you came here straight from China!”

Lance felt like crap. No, not crap, even worse.  It was so uncomfortable to watch father and son battle it out. He should say something before it gets too ugly. So he cleared his throat, “Thomas, please take a seat.”

Tommy glared at his father then at Lance. “Spare me the lecture Mr. Lance. I’ll go get my things and move back home.”

“Home?!” Malcolm huffed. “There’s no going home—” 

“Quentin, may we have the room?” Malcolm asked politely trying to regain his composure. “Thank you.”

Lance nodded and rounded off his desk. Before walking out he clasped Tommy’s shoulder and said, “I’m sorry Tom. I really tried to advocate for you but your name was on the list. There was only so much I could do, it was my word against the board’s so…Sorry. Good luck, kid.”

Tommy slumped his shoulders forward and released a deep sigh. Once the door was shut it was on.

“What do you mean ‘there’s no going home’?”

“I was already disappointed in you, with all your shenanigans but this is a new low, even for you.”

They both spoke at the same time but Malcolm took the floor with his on-going rant. 

“What you did was despicable.” He spat.

“Do you even care why I did it? I mean, I’m not a horrible human being. There is a reason why I did what I did. I was forced into it!” The second the words left his mouth Tommy knew he’d regret it. His father hated it when he talked back to him. 

“Oh! I am SICK of your excuses!!”

It stung.

And if he’d seen it coming he would’ve ducked or stepped back, but the slap of a lifetime caught him by surprise.

That was the moment Tommy realized that his father had given up on him. And hat did that say about him? That the only person in the world who is supposed to love him unconditionally had given up on him. Was Tommy really that bad? Sure, he’d done stupid and reckless things that usually ended up hurting other people but it’s not like he’d done it on purpose. 

Or maybe his father had a point, maybe he was that bad. Maybe there was no such thing as an explanation as to why he’d done the things he did. 

Maybe it’s time to grow up and face the consequences of his actions. After all that was the right thing to do.

All the resolve he had to fight had left him, so he accepted his father’s reprimand. “So, I take it I’m right…I’ve been expelled.”

“Yes.”  

“So.. can I go get my stuff now? Or were you planning on pounding me some more?”

Malcolm looked like he wanted to but he held it back. No matter how much he slapped him Tommy would still be Tommy. “Get your belongings. I’ll be waiting in the car.” 

* * *

 

So much had happened in that day, between the hospital visit and the getting expelled Tommy couldn’t wait to go home. He just wanted to be alone and wallow in his thoughts. He was packing the last of his things when Oliver and Ray came back from the dining hall. 

Tommy hated rooming with Ray. It was a constant reminder of how much of a coward he was. He felt so guilty about all the things he’d done to Ray, including stealing his medication. 

“Hey, you’re back!” Oliver exclaimed. “So, are you going to explain the whole dark-side-Tommy-thing you had going with The League?”

“Ollie, can we not do this right now?”

“Where are you going?” Oliver ignored his request.

Tommy zipped his last bag and shrugged, “I was expelled.”

Tommy left Oliver stunned.

_Was he not expecting that?_

“I have to go,” Tommy scrambled to grab all his bags trying to avoid a second trip. “Dad’s waiting for me downstairs…I, um, I’ll call you when I get home, assuming I make it that far. But just in case, I’m sorry.”

Tommy turned to Ray and apologized one more time, though vague and brief, it carried all the sentiment. 

* * *

It’d been a long day for Tommy, after nearly dying, getting kicked out of school, being beaten by his father, he just wanted the day to be over already. 

They had driven around the city until the car stopped and Tommy woke up from his impromptu nap. They’d arrived to one of Starling’s newest up and coming neighborhood not far from the school.

Before he could even ask where they were Malcolm spoke up from across his seat in the town car. “This is where you get off.” He dug around in his left jacket pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “I signed a lease on a property here, for you. So you won’t be homeless. I finally closed down on the Mansion, it’d been sitting on the market so I had to lower the price.”

“Wait, what? When you said you’d sell the house I didn’t think you were serious!”

“I always am…So, apartment 7B is yours. I’ll take care of the rent for the first year, on your 18th birthday you’ll have access to a trust fund your mom and I had set up when you were born. It was meant to be your college fund but since it is yours… you may do with it as you please.”

Why does it sound like he’s saying goodbye?

“Tommy, I am done asking you and expecting you to be better. If you want to do…whatever it is that you want to, now it’s time for you to face the consequences, like an adult, which you almost are anyways. So… good-bye Tommy.”

“If you have any questions about the trust fund feel free to contact our team of lawyers or MG’s accountants I’m sure they’ll be of help.”

Tommy couldn’t believe all of this happened in just one day.

“Good-bye son. I sincerely hope you’ll be happy.”

What kind of father gives his 17 years old son his own apartment?! It was ridiculous and confusing.

Tommy got his bags from the trunk and headed up to his new home. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the apartment was fully furnished and fully stocked on food. All of his furniture that used to be in the mansion was now there. In his apartment.

* * *

Of course she’d tried his phone but he wasn’t picking up or replying to any of her texts. Laurel was worried enough already but then he didn’t show up to class the next day. 

Her suspicions were confirmed by Oliver. She asked him if he’d seen Tommy and Oliver flat out told her he’d been expelled.

“I saw him last night after dinner, he was packing his things, he said he’d call but he just texted me an address.” 

“Are you planning on going? Can I tag along?”

Oliver hesitated before answering, “I don’t think I can.”

To which Laurel questioned can’t or won’t. He didn’t say anything after that. He just forwarded her the address.

Laurel could not understand why Oliver, of all people, would be avoiding Tommy. His best friend just got expelled, probably for something that he might not even be guilty of, you’d think that he would stand by his friend. Laurel couldn’t help but think that Oliver really is a selfish asshole.

That day after school Laurel got permission for Sara, Felicity and herself so they could visit Nyssa in the hospital with the condition that Mr. Diggle be the one to take them, it was a busy day for Quentin. But to be honest Laurel wasn’t only going for Nyssa, she wanted to check in on Tommy too. 

When they arrived at the hospital they ran into Nyssa’s father, he said she’d woken up. Sara squealed with joy while Laurel and Felicity were both relieved when they finally saw Nyssa. Sara had exaggerated, made it seem like Nyssa was in a coma or something. 

Nyssa was resting when the girls entered the room, when she heard Sara she immediately knew they were okay. Before things went south with The League Sara hadn’t been talking to her. It’d been weeks of avoiding each other and ignoring. At first it was annoying because Sara was hard headed, but then it turned sad and hurtful; some days Sara didn’t even look at her friend. But now hearing how happy she sounded, Nyssa knew they were past it.

Mr. Diggle was the first to approach her and ask how she was doing. She assured him she was fine, though her chest did feel tight when breathing but that was fairly normal with her being asthmatic. It wasn’t long before Nyssa asked about Tommy. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s okay-“ 

Nyssa didn’t let him finish before addressing the girls. “He saved my life. So did you Mr. Diggle! Thank you.”

Diggle smiled down at her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll let you catch up with your friends. I’ll see you when you go back to school. I’ll be working with Principal Lance on this, we still can’t believe this happened right under our noses.” 

Nyssa nodded along as Diggle said good-bye and told the girls he’d be waiting outside. 

“We’re so glad you’re okay!” Felicity said as she moved to embrace Nyssa in a tight hug.

“Me too.” Nyssa exhaled. “It was really scary.” 

“So what _did_ happen?” Laurel asked, she was dying to know how Tommy played a part in this mess. 

Nyssa recounted the events in as much detail as she could muster. How things went awry during the initiation ceremony and The League turned against her and the senior care-taker. How they accused them of being in cahoots to bring the organization down. 

“That was Tommy, right? The senior care-taker?” Laurel asked not knowing whether she wanted to know the truth or not. 

Nyssa confirmed it with a nod of her head.

Felicity looked between the surprised and disappointed faces of her friends, “Did you know it was him?”

“No, not until he revealed himself to me.”

“I still can’t believe it.” Laurel commented. More like she didn’t want to believe it.

The girls talked a little more, Nyssa complained about the bland taste of hospital food while Felicity remarked on the perks of the food being brought to her bedside and raved about that famous hospital Jell-O. 

Nyssa asked Sara to stay for a bit so they could talk in private after Laurel and Felicity were gone.

“I’m sorry.” Sara was the first to talk. “I shouldn’t have shut you out.”

“It’s okay.” Nyssa assured her, “I was going to apologize for not asking for help sooner.”

“Nyss, it’s not your fault. I can’t help but think that if I’d been there none of this would’ve happened.”

_But then you wouldn’t have kissed me_ , Nyssa thought.

Okay, so Nyssa wasn’t 100 percent sure that even happened. She’d heard Sara’s voice in her room, next thing she felt Sara brush her lips against hers. Minutes later Nyssa woke up but there was no one in her room, she thought she dreamt it.  

“You could’ve been safe.”

“I am safe.” Nyssa made grabby hands at Sara, asking for a hug. “It all worked out in the end. That’s what matters, I guess. We did what we set out to do. We brought them down.” Nyssa muttered into her friend’s hair running her hands up and down her back just like Sara was doing to her. 

* * *

 John Diggle was the best! 

Not only was he a great teacher and role model for his students he was also a great friend, an ally. 

Laurel figured she was likely to get in trouble if she snuck off on Mr. Diggle, plus she knew the man valued honesty above anything else. So she told him the truth, that she wanted to check on Tommy. 

“I’ll take you sister and Felicity back to school, I’ll come back and pick you up. Understood?”

“Yes, thanks Mr. Diggle!” Laurel bounced on the balls of her feet. “See ya!”

As it turns out Tommy’s address wasn’t that far from the hospital. 

Apartment 7B. She read again just to be sure before pressing on the buzzer. Laurel pressed the button once and immediately the latch on the door granted her access. “Hey, Ollie. Front door’s open, let yourself in. I just got out of the shower I’ll be out there in a sec.” She didn’t even get a chance to correct him.

The apartments in this building had to be huge seeing as there were only four apartments per floor. Even though she knew the door was open Laurel still knocked on it before entering. 

The foyer wasn’t really that large and majestic as the rest of the apartment but regardless it was really nice. A little hallway opened up to a living/dinning room area. First off to the right was the living room area with a huge white sectional pointed towards the opposing wall that had both a fireplace and a flat screen tv. Opposite the living room was the dinning room. It had a big glass rectangular modern dinning table with sleek gray leather chairs. Off to the right was the kitchen, with dark woodened cabinets and white quartz countertops, very high end. 

Laurel was distracted by the beautiful sunset that could be seen over by the living room and the kitchen thanks to the floor-to- ceiling windows. She heard Tommy muttering from the second level- holy crap! This place was amazing- about it being a great bachelor pad and how he and Oliver would be guaranteed some tail because of it.

Tommy finished up buttoning his plaid shirt as he walked down the stairs. “Sweet right?” He grinned but paled when he realized it was Laurel and not Oliver. “Laurel?”

“Hi, Tommy. I have to admit it _is_ quite the bachelor pad.”

He didn’t know what to say or what to do. He was baffled by her showing up here. He was expecting Oliver not her.

“It was a parting gift from my father. The apartment, I mean.”

“Parting? He’s not staying?”

“Nope. He’s already halfway back to China, I suppose. I don’t really know…What brings you here? Not that I’m not happy to see you- let the record show that I am.” Tommy muttered his words together.

Laurel noticed how quickly he brushed off the subject, he clearly didn’t want to talk about his father. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t answer any of your calls, or messages. I was busy trying to get settled into this… new living situation.” Tommy apologized and gestured for her to please sit down on the couch.

She told him she was sorry he got expelled. He’d said it was more than deserving for all the things he’d done.

Laurel didn’t want to believe that Tommy was really guilty, that he was a part of The League. 

She tried a different approach.  “I talked to Nyssa today.”

“How is she?”

“Good. Thanks to you. She said you saved her life.”

“Her life wouldn’t have needed saving if I wasn’t such a coward.” He hung his head. 

Laurel shook her head. “I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“It was my fault, Laurel. Everything that’s happened is all my fault.”

She refused to believe that Tommy was the bad guy here. She knew him and she knew that Tommy was not capable of the things The League used to do. “How did you get into it? How did you become the senior care-taker?”

“I didn’t want to be a part of them, you have to believe that.” Tommy pleaded.

“I do.” She nodded.

“At first I did it to protect Oliver, They threatened to hurt him if I didn’t join them. So I did. I tried to come clean to your dad about it but I was afraid I would end up…right where I am right now. I tried leaving anonymous notes to your dad, but he brushed it off as a prank.” Laurel scooted closer to Tommy and ran a comforting hand in a caress down his back. “I feel horrible for the things I did, especially about Ray. I didn’t make him go crazy but I watched as Sebastian did, it scared me even more to see what they were capable of. That’s why I started a ploy to bring them down from within. I gained their trust and I already had everything I needed to bring them down, but-”

“So what happened?”

“Felicity. She’s on a scholarship, and caught the attention of The League. And you know her, she’s too much of a rebel to let this slide. She found the evidence I’d gathered, that was not good for either of us. She unknowingly put a target on her back and then Nyssa tried to join... It was a mess, I couldn’t see a way out of this without anyone finding out my secret.” Tommy released a deep sigh, “I never wanted you to find out about it.”

Laurel stopped her hand on his back and brought it up to his cheek, making him look at her. “Hey, look at me. Tommy, I _know_ you. I trust your reasons for going along with them. You made a mistake, that doesn’t make you a bad person. I’m sorry you were caught in the middle of all this. You didn’t deserve to be expelled.” 

Tommy’s eyes shinned with a medley of emotions: shame, sadness, hope, love. He closed his eyes and leaned in closer towards Laurel. He bumped his nose with hers and dared to open up his eyes; he was a nervous wreck and his breathing had accelerated something that Laurel seemed to notice as she continued to stroke his cheekbone. She seemed all calm and collected, while he was barely holding on. He looked into her eyes and found warmth and compassion there that gave him the courage to do what he’d wanted to do since he’d pecked her on Christmas morning. 

He kissed her.

He kissed her like she deserved to be kissed. Fully and wholeheartedly, it was a tender kiss full of one particular sentiment: _love_. The kiss was chaste, it was more than a peck but tender enough to convey the message he wanted to send. Tommy could feel his heart hammering in his chest, oxygen was lacking but he wasn’t about to complain. Laurel pulled away first, the hand that used to be on his cheek now was right on his beating heart. 

“Tommy.” She breathed out, her voice barely above a whisper. “What was that for?”

“Everything.” He replied as out of breath as she was. “I- The way you make me feel. You. I-um- Thank you.” He got lost in the way her eyes seemed to sparkle, her cheeks now a lovely shade of pink. She looked even more beautiful than usual, he couldn’t help himself and pecked her lips again.

Laurel was about to question him about what the kiss represented for them when he spoke again. 

“Do you wanna go out with me?” He took her hand from his chest and cradled it between his own, “Be my girlfriend and that sort of thing?” 

He knew it probably wasn’t the right time for this and he was probably jumping the gun, he’d just kissed her and sure she kissed him back but that didn’t mean that she wanted to be his girl. But he needed to know, he’d been holding all his feelings inside for a long time. Tommy knew they were friends and while he didn’t want to ruin their friendship the way she’d been looking at him told him that there was something more there. Something more than friendship. He wanted that, he wanted her.

Laurel laughed, not what he wanted to hear. “Yeah, I’d go out with you. Though I thought you wanted to get ‘some tail’ from this bachelor pad.”

Now it was his turn to laugh a her comeback. “Dinah Laurel Lance. You are going to be the best lawyer ever.” 

* * *

 

END OF CHAPTER 31

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: I'll tease with the tittle: How do you know?  
> *I'll give you a little hint: there will be some animosity between some characters.


	34. How do you know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> School moves on after The League is thrown out. Felicity has questions that makes her doubt some things in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! Your eyes do not deceive you. There's a brand new chapter of She Is Love!! I took a break from this story because it honestly felt like I needed to take a step back and see what I was doing wrong. I got it figured out now. So you can expect a weekly update if not then every two weeks!

It’s been 4 days since Tommy was expelled and Oliver’s still not ready to face him. He’s too pissed off at his friend, and frankly too betrayed. Oliver can’t believe that Tommy was a part of The League. An accomplice to everything they’d done to innocent people like Ray, even Felicity. Especially what they did to Felicity. Was he there when they hit her? Was he the one to hit her? Did he ever regret it? 

It was disgusting to Oliver to know all the things Tommy was apparently capable of.  
So instead of checking in on his friend, Oliver has chosen to focus on school and his music.  
It’s a far better use of his time, after all Felicity had offered to give him one more chance at being partners. 

It took some time to convince her that he was 100 percent committed this time around: no girlfriend drama, his dad was finally busy with his mayoral duties, his mom was on her annual girls’ trip to Spain. And with The League gone there was no need for them to be looking over their shoulders anymore. 

Mr. Diggle and Principal Lance have been investigating and gathering more evidence on the investigation of the League’s secret hideouts, including the secret room under the laundry room. Now that’s off limits. 

Four more secret rooms were found and were now under construction, being sealed off. 

Now Oliver and Felicity were out of a practice room. Until they could figure out a more permanent solution they settled for rehearsing at the youth center in The Glades or over at the theater where Felicity’s mom was doing run-throughs of her show. 

Oliver enjoys rehearsing at the theater because it has a more professional vibe, it makes him feel like a real artist. Sometimes Felicity’s mom pops by and gives them feedback on their performance. 

* * *

A week later- after The League’s disintegration- Felicity’s noticed all her friends have been acting very out of character. For starters there’s Nyssa who appears to be happy and at peace, and it’s hard to believe that the once serious and stoic girl she used to be is the same one who now has a smile plastered on her face; quite honestly the way she smiles freaks Felicity out. Sara on the other hand is relatively normal except for the fact that she’s been avoiding any alone time with Nyssa. One day after school Sara wanted to avoid being alone with her best friend so much that she begged Felicity to let her tag along with her and Oliver to go to The Glades.  
Felicity wonders what the hell is up with those two, she’ll have a chat with Sara soon.

Even Laurel’s been weird. She’s been spacing out in class- almost as much as Oliver’s been doing- or at any moment really. Whenever someone questions her about it she brushes it off by saying that schoolwork’s been stressing her out. 

_What schoolwork?_ They’ve barely been assigned homework let alone projects or important tests. 

At least Laurel’s a little easier to read than Sara. Whenever anyone mentions Tommy or asks her about him she gets all defensive about it. ‘I don’t know. Why should I know anything? It’s not like we’re dating or anything. Ask Oliver, I’m sure he can answer your questions better than I can.’

 _Yeah, right! You’re not fooling anyone, Red Cheeks!_ Felicity thinks. Maybe Laurel’s just worried about Tommy. 

Which brings Felicity to reflect on Oliver’s behavior. He’s been late for class every single day when, when he bothers to show up at all he just takes naps during class and eats lunch by himself. It’s only when they’re rehearsing for their gig at Verdant that he seems like himself. It’s almost like he’s sad, only this time he’s not drunk in a dark room crying by himself. Maybe he misses his friend, Felicity guesses. 

Today he shows up late for class, as usual, only that today when he takes his seat behind Felicity he asks her, “What’s _he_ doing here?”

Felicity turns back to look at him as he stares down _his_ best friend. “If you had showed up in time for class -for once in your life- you wouldn’t have missed Mr. Diggle’s announcement. Tommy’s back.”

“Yeah, I figured as much.” He bit back angrily.

“I thought you’d be happy to have him back. You know, seeing as he’s like your second testicle.” Felicity half whispered-half yelled. “Or more accurately, your one and only.” 

Oliver looked like he’d swallowed a lemon but refrained from saying anything back. Oliver distinctly heard Tommy snort and struggle to stifle his laughter, he ignored him completely.

“Queen! Smoak!” Diggle cleared his throat and called their attention. “Break up the lovers’ quarrel. We’ve got work to do.”

* * *

  
That night in order to avoid Tommy, Oliver waited until it was almost lights out to head back to his room. When he got there Tommy was already in bed as was Ray.  
No one said a word to each other the next morning.

* * *

  
It was Thursday afternoon and Felicity went to her room to freshen up and change her clothes before heading out with Oliver. 

Donna had been more present lately because she was helping them organize the benefit to save The Glades. 

So far they’d agreed to use the theater as their venue, Donna would cover that expense. They knew they wanted to put together a number with the kids from the youth center for them to perform. Oliver and Felicity would perform a couple of songs too, Donna would close the showcase with a number from her show. 

They still needed at least a month to get everything else ready like set a date for the event, the promotion and such. The promotional aspect of it scared Oliver. He feared that his father would find out and ruin everything they were trying to accomplish. So Oliver insisted that no pictures of him or Felicity were used on any promo or poster, just their names; Megan and Jonas.

Oliver poked his head through the door and called out, “Felicity! Let’s go! Donna’s waiting for us.”

_What the hell?_

“You talked to my mother?” Felicity came barreling down the stairs to meet him at the door. 

“No. She texted me.”

“Gross! Okay, I’m ready.”

* * *

  
The rehearsal went perfectly without a hitch, which was something short of a miracle seeing as how Oliver didn’t pick a fight with her. Ever since Oliver had defended her, had her back with Sebastian, they’ve been getting along. Like really getting along, like semi normal people meaning that they’ve been bantering and not fighting like they used to back when they really hated each other. It finally feels like they’re friends. Or, well, at least they are on the right track.

An that’s something neither of them talk about. They have just accepted that they are going to be civil towards each other. So far it’s been nice, especially because -with all the usual tension between them gone- they’ve been able to get better with their music. Going as far as talking about writing their own songs and maybe one day, after Oliver gets his head out of his ass and tell his father to go to hell, make their duo an official thing. Felicity dares to hope that maybe one day they could get a record deal. But that’s a long shot, for now she chooses to focus on getting along and making the best out of The Benefit. Which will come in handy as practice to see if they’re ready to be an actual band that gets to perform in front of real audiences.

Thinking about the future used to be fantasizing about going to MIT. Now everything’s changed. If she hadn’t gone to EWS she never would’ve met her best friends, who honestly have become like sisters to Felicity, and Oliver. If it wasn’t for him she never would’ve discovered her talent or her love for music. 

Thinking back to when Oliver was a total douche and stranger to her, she never would have imagined all the good things they would do together. Mostly because she didn’t expect Oliver to care for anything other than himself. She was proved wrong the night The League attacked her, he stayed by her side all night and helped her come up with a plan to destroy them. 

While her ‘relationship’ with Oliver blossomed her relationship with Ronnie felt…confusing was the word Felicity could come up with that could better describe how she felt.  
Felicity left Oliver hanging out with one of the stage coordinators for the benefit they were throwing, to go over some details about the sound system. She took the free time it presented her with and decided to talk to her mother. Felicity hated relying on Donna, especially for when she needed advice.

“Hi, honey.” Her mother squished her cheeks and welcomed her inside the dressing room. “I thought you’d left with Oliver already.” Donna said as she sat back down and began organizing her makeup kit. 

“He’s geeking out with Randall about the sound system.” She hesitated, finding it difficult to ask her mother for advice. 

“Ooh! This is about boys! Right?” Donna guessed, she quit reorganizing her makeup kit and turned around to face her daughter, all eyes and ears. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be making that face.”

 _Agh_! If she was going to make a big deal out of this Felicity wouldn’t have come to her. 

“Okay, fine. But if we’re gonna talk about this you can’t go all ‘mom’ on me.” Felicity avoided eye contact with her mother and took a seat on a little couch across from her. “So Laurel’s-you know Laurel- ‘in love’ with Tommy. Or so she says! They’ve only been going out for like a week.”

Laurel confessed that the other day when Felicity cornered her after spotting her and Tommy together in the library. They were sitting next to each other holding hands as they shared a book. Ugh! They looked disgustingly cute together. 

Donna looks confused while Felicity just laughs nervously and continues with her ramble. “I mean, how does she know that she loves him? That’s ridiculous, right?”

“Oh, how sweet. Good for her!” Donna claps in celebration, “Wait! That’s not the same guy that was pressuring her into sex right?”

“Eww. No, mom. Focus!”

“I don’t really see the problem here, honey.”

Felicity groaned. “Mom. They’ve been dating for less than two weeks! I’ve known Ronnie longer.”

_Whoop! There it is!_

“So _that’s_ what this is about. You and Ronnie, not Laurel and Tommy.”  
“No. I mean, yeah… I don’t know. I was talking with Laurel the other day when she dropped the bomb -that she’s in love with Tommy- on me. And it got me wondering how did she know.”

“So what did she say?” Her mother inquires.

“She said that she just felt it. And that she whether he’s ready or not to say it, he loves her too. She claims she can see it in his eyes, how in love he is.”

“Aww. I remember the first time I fell in love—” Donna sighed. 

“Mom! Focus!” Felicity snapped her fingers in her face to bring her mom back down to earth. “How do you know? How do you know when you’re in love? How long does it take to know or to actually—”

“Honey, there’s not a timeline when it comes to love. Some people fall in love at first sight, others take a while to figure it out. When you love someone- when you love someone you’ll know because you put their needs before yours, not because it’s the right thing to do but because they are as important as you. You’ll know it because you’ll feel it in your heart, in your gut. Did Ronnie say it to you, that he loves you? Did you say it back?”

“NO! No, no, no, no, no.”

“Damn, honey six no’s. So what’s wrong then? Did you say it and he didn’t?”

“No. I was just wondering. Because we’ve been going out for a while now and I don’t know, it feels like we’re going nowhere. It’s like we’re friends who hold hands. It was way more fun at the beginning, now its just…boring? And now that I said it out loud it sounds mean.”

Donna reached over and grabbed Felicity’s hands. “Well, if that’s how you really feel I don’t think its fair to be leading him on. You should talk to him, be honest and do what you think it’s right. Most importantly do what makes you happy, baby.” 

Felicity contemplated her mother’s words. She had a lot to think about now. “Okay. Thanks, mom.” She closed the distance between them with a hug her mom was eager to return. “Just one more thing.”

Still in their embrace Donna answered, “Sure, honey.”

“Stop texting with Oliver. It’s weird.” 

Donna laughed in response. “Oh come on! He’s been teaching me how to use emojis.” She pouted.

* * *

  
Oliver had been avoiding Tommy at all costs since he came back to school. The benefit for The Glades had been a good distraction. So far it’d been working. The benefit was one week away now and Oliver was beyond excited about it. He was obviously disappointed that his father would never be there to see him perform, to show him what he’s good at. His mom though, his mom would be there in the front row cheering him on.

If only he could reach her now.

Moira had gone on her annual girl’s trip to Spain, over a month ago, and he hadn’t been able to talk to her. The extent of their communication boiled down to a couple of emails and texts here and there, but not a single phone call. He wanted to call his mother and tell her all about the benefit, see if she could swing by and watch him perform. His mother would like that, she’d be proud.  
Oliver tried one last time to reach his mother while he waited for Felicity in the game room.

Nothing. 

He was grunting and cursing at his phone when Felicity came in to the game room.

“Piece of shit.”

“Whoa! I thought we weren’t hating on each other.” Felicity lifted her arms in surrender as she moved closer to take a seat on the couch with him.

“No, not you.” He grunted again when she took a seat beside him. She looked at him expectantly, so he finally cracked. “It’s my phone. It’s been all wonky lately and I haven’t been able to reach my mom.”

“I can check it out if you want, your phone, see what’s wrong with it. Maybe she doesn’t get service over there, you know when I was in London the cellphone service was shit.”  
“Yeah, maybe.” He avoided looking at her as he handed over his phone.

She was quiet while she worked on his phone. He observed her intently and noted that she did in fact look different today, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, her once purple streaks now looked paler and pinkish, her cheeks had a little pink tint to them- _maybe makeup_ \- and her eyes looked a little puffy as if she’d just woken up. Pretty all the same, he hated to admit it even to himself but, yeah she was really beautiful. 

And now she was looking at him, handing him back his phone, when he noticed that her eyes looked a little bloodshot. “Thanks. Are you okay? You look weird.”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just allergies. Pollen count is high today.”

“Oh no! You better not get sick, if you get sick we won’t be able to do the benefit.”

“Don’t worry about, I’ll be fine by the time Saturday rolls around.” She chuckled, “Actually, I came here to check on you.”

“Me?”

She nodded back.

“I’m not the one that’s sick.”

“Neither am I, but I’m also not the one who’s been avoiding a certain someone.”

Oliver became aggravated once again, knowing full well she was referring to Tommy. She ought to mind her business. 

“Knock it off, Felicity. I told you I have nothing to say to him! If anything he is the one that should have something to say but he hasn’t even bothered.” He released a deep sigh, “I don’t want to talk about it. Did you fix my phone?”

“Suit yourself. Your phone is working just fine.”

* * *

END OF CHAPTER 32

 


	35. The Benefit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title is self explanatory. Oliver and Felicity do some good together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised! I can’t believe I posted on time. Feels good!

“I’m so excited you guys are coming to the benefit!” Felicity said with a mouthful of the Italian sub she was having for lunch that Friday.

“Are you kidding? We wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Laurel smiles as she dipped her mozzarella sticks into her marinara sauce.

“Yeah, I’ve been dying to see what it is you really do after all that time you spend alone with Oliver.” Sara cuts in stealing from Felicity’s basket of fries.

Nyssa slaps Sara’s hand. “Don’t be rude. Besides we all know Felicity doesn’t like Oliver like that. I don’t think she really likes him at all.”

“Yeah, yeah. Of course you’d say that.” Sara murmurs.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nyssa snaps back.

Felicity dismisses the comments, and what they mean to insinuate, and focuses on the excitement that comes with her friends seeing her perform for the very first time. She feels ready, prepared enough and is confident in the songs that Oliver and her picked to perform. Plus she’s most excited for the kids to sing. Heal The World and We Are The World were the obvious choices, they were almost too cheesy but the kids liked them so that’s what they went with.

There’s also been the support her mother has given them. Donna dubbed herself as The Glades Youth center’s godmother, initially Felicity thought it was obnoxious on her mother’s part but Oliver made her see reason.

**1 week ago**

> _They were sitting in the game room’s sofa by the tv bickering about how annoying Donna was being. Felicity even brought up how inappropriate it was for her to be texting Oliver._
> 
> _Oliver however had some insight thanks to his newfound friendship with Donna. He was the one who offered to stay in touch with the woman because he knew Felicity would oppose to work with her mother, so he volunteered to be the bridge between the two. He didn’t think that it’d be inappropriate for him and Donna to text, Felicity was blowing things out of proportion. When it came to her mother she always did._
> 
> _“Felicity, you are overreacting.”_
> 
> _“I am not! You don’t know her like I do, okay? She’s…so annoying! She always has to be the center of attention, the star of the show.”_
> 
> _“Is that what this is about? You’re afraid she’s gonna steal your thunder?”_
> 
> _“No, I don’t– I mean, when I moved here I was so relieved, I thought I’d have space to just be me for once, instead of standing under her shadow. I thought you out anyone here, you’d understand.”_
> 
> _“Yeah, I understand that. What I don’t get is why it bothers you so much?” Oliver knows Felicity has an issue with her mother. That her family isn’t perfect either but he didn’t think it was that serious, that it bothered Felicity this much._
> 
> _“Why?! Because! Oliver, she’s followed me here! And now she’s friends with my friends- and don’t even get me started on the crush/friendship whatever it is that’s between her and principal Lance because that’s just disgusting on so many levels!- That woman needs a life of her own! I don’t understand why she does this… I’ve never asked for her help before and now that I have she’s taken this and made it all about her, as usual.”_
> 
> _Oliver almost wants to laugh because Felicity is really a lot like her mother. Felicity claims her mother is self centered but really she’s not, Donna cares too much just like Felicity does. Oliver would give anything to have at least one of his parents care half as much as Donna does about Felicity._
> 
> _Oliver sighs to control his impulse to smack the back of Felicity’s head. “She came here because she missed you. And she’s not trying to be the center of attention she just wants to help out. I’d give anything for either of my parents to pay attention or be as present as your mom is. At least she tries.” Oliver sees that Felicity is about to interrupt him so he keeps barreling through. “Which is a lot more than I can say about either of my parents. At this point I don’t expect my dad to care but my mom, she’s been gone for almost a month. A month, and she hasn’t even bothered to call. You know the last time someone visited Thea at her school it was you and me.”_
> 
> _Felicity grabs his hand and forces him to look at her._
> 
> _“Forget I said any of that.” He says extricating his hand back as he stands to leave in a hurry. “Lay off your mom.”_
> 
> _“Oliver!” She yells to his retreating form. “Get back here!”_

Felicity supposes Oliver is right. It could be worse. She could have parents like Oliver’s, absent, nonchalant, distracted. Instead she has a mother who loves her vey much and missed her so much she moved and brought her work with her. Donna can be overbearing but she means well, or so says Oliver.  
  


> * * *

It’s finally the day of the benefit and Felicity is way too pumped about it. She had breakfast with the girls and around 11am, she couldn’t wait anymore and decided to see if Oliver was as ready as she was. They had agreed to head over to the venue around 3pm to do a final run through of the show.

Since it was Saturday and there wasn’t that much supervision sneaking into the boys’ dorms was relatively easy. Before knocking on Oliver’s door, Felicity glanced back at the door across the hall. It brought back the memory of Sebastian finding her in his room, going through his stuff, him yanking on her ponytail and dragging her out of there. Thank god Oliver found them, that day was really scary.

Shaking those thoughts away she knocked on Oliver’s door.

“Hiya, Felicity!” Ray opened up. “Come in before anyone catches you!” He rushed her inside.

She looked around the room, Ray’s and Tommy’s areas were both messy with books and notebooks everywhere. In fact Tommy was sitting in his desk busy with school work, probably still catching up on what he missed those weeks he was out. Oliver was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Oliver?”

“Upstairs, he’s in the shower. I’m sure he’ll be out soon if you want to wait for him.” Ray offered as he sat on his bed and gave her his desk chair.

“Cool. Do you mind?” She signaled towards Tommy. Ray bowed his head and mouthed ‘go ahead’.

The chair squeaked as she rolled over towards Tommy’s desk. “Hey, mind if we have a chat?”

Tommy looked up from his notebook and shot her a small smile, if you could even call it that. “Hi, Felicity. Sure.”

“So…Laurel told me about you guys, Congratulations.”

Tommy scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks turned pink and his eyes sparkled-like actually sparkled. “She did?”

“Yeah–” the sound of the upstairs bathroom opening interrupted Felicity.

“Ollie, before you walk outta there put your underwear on! We’ve got company!” Tommy warned.

“Don’t look up then!”

Felicity wondered what that was all about, though curious about it she was more impressed by the two of them interacting with each other. “You two finally talked?”

“No.” Oliver responded from upstairs.

“It’s not like I haven’t tried. He won’t listen to me.”

“He’ll come around. He’s an idiot.”

“I HEARD THAT!”

“Anyways, you should tag along with Laurel, come tonight to the show. We’re throwing this benefit for the youth center in The Glades. Oliver and I are performing,” she scoots closer and whispers, “He won’t say it but, Oliver, he needs you there.”

A fully dressed Oliver comes barreling down the stairs, his focus solely on Felicity completely ignoring Tommy. “You’re here early.”

“Yeah, I came to check if you were ready. And you are so we can head out now.”  
  


* * *

 

Oliver was nervous. Anxious. A lot could go wrong tonight. Or it could be really awesome.

Performing in front of a larger audience of course made him nervous. The audience at Verdant was almost a regular one and they always liked what Felicity and he performed, but tonight would be different. It’s an opportunity for them to expand their audience and reach more people. But there was the fact that they had yet to make an impression.

Another thing that made Oliver nervous was the fact that tonight unlike any other night there’d be press amongst the audience. The chances that he would be recognized were pretty high. Oliver just hoped he wouldn’t end up on the front page of the Starling City Times.

Felicity had come up with a solution to his problem. They coordinated their outfits to match. Dark wash jeans with boots, brown leather jackets, gray shirts and the Starling City Rockets baseball cap. Felicity finished up her look with a sparkly stylish scarf. The baseball cap wasn’t enough to conceal his identity so Felicity suggested that if someone did recognize him, they would spin the angle of the mayor’s son supports local youth center. In all honesty it was good PR for Robert, still Oliver hoped not to get caught.

The theater was buzzing with energy. Everyone was running around doing some last minute testing of the sound system and the lighting.

Little Roy came running towards Oliver. “Ollie! Ollie!!”

“I told you only my sister gets to call me that, Roy.” Oliver bent down to his level and fixed the boy’s disheveled hoodie. “What’s up, bud?”

“I was looking for you!”

“Well you found me! Everything okay? Are you nervous?” Oliver pretended not to be nervous himself and rumpled the boy’s hair.

Roy brushed his hands off his hair. “Everything’s fine for me. But you’re screwed!”

Oliver’s eyes widened. It couldn’t be! Could it be that his father had showed up? “Why?”

“The _guy_ is here!”

“Who?”

Roy turned and looked across the stage to where Felicity was standing, hugging a tall dark haired guy. “That one! The one stealing your girl!”

_Ahh! Roy was back on that?_

“Roy, we’ve talked about this. Felicity is just a friend. And that guy is my cousin Ronnie.”

“Details, details.”

* * *

  
Donna Smoak was the first to take the stage and welcome the audience. ‘Megan and Jonas’ were the first act so Oliver and Felicity stood by the stage waiting for their cue to go on. Felicity was practically bubbling with excitement while Oliver stood stoically and fiddled with his fingers.

Suddenly he felt a hand gently grip his disrupting the motion.

“Hey. You’re not still nervous are you?”

“What if someone recognizes me? This hat doesn’t conceal much.” He said pointing at it with his free hand.

Felicity let go off his hand and fixed his backwards baseball cap to it’s normal position and pulled the collar of his jacket upwards. “Would it make you feel better if I let you borrow one of my mom’s wigs?” She joked. She could see him actually considering it. “I’m kidding. Ooh! Come on!”

Donna called their cue and Felicity grabbed Oliver’s hand again and together they took their places. The crowd was roaring but Oliver could barely hear it over his heartbeat that was hammering against his chest let alone see them with the lights blinding him. He took his seat on a wooden stool while Felicity stood a couple of feet beside him.

“Good evening everyone! Thank you so much for coming tonight.” Felicity said as soon as the had a mic on her hand. “It means a lot to us that you’ve come to support the after school programs all across the city. Jonas and I have had the privilege of witnessing how the after school program works and changes these kids’ lives. We’ll let you see for yourselves what these kids are capable of. Please feel free to donate, every little bit helps. Thank you and enjoy the show.”

Their performance of Phillip Phillips’ Home was flawless. Oliver and Felicity get off the stage and she makes him change his clothes for the performance with the kids while Mr. Chen takes the time to talk to the audience and explain what it is they do at the youth center.

When the kids take the stage the crowd claps then falls silent when they realize how young the kids are. The kids perform their two songs with the help from Oliver and Felicity. By the end of the second song Felicity notices there’s people in the crowd that have teared up.

At the end of the night Donna announces that the benefit raised a little over 50,000 dollars, plus an anonymous donor promised to keep sponsoring the Glades’ youth center after school program.

It was overall a terrific night. Up until an unwanted guest showed up and ruined it.

  
————END OF CHAPTER 33————

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And don’t worry I’m not gonna leave you hanging for too long. Next chapter picks up right after where we left off.   
> I’m looking forward to seeing your theories oh who shows up at the benefit.


	36. Bad News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Diggle is an angel. Felicity finds something interesting to do in the meantime. Oliver gets a reality check.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay on this chapter but work has been beyond crazy. Also I just found out I’m gonna be an aunt (crazy lol). So I’ve been a little sidetracked but I’ll keep writing this story, hopefully it’ll be over someday.  
> IDK. Whatever. Here’s the newest chapter. Enjoy and thanks again for reading and for your patience.

“Hello, I’m John Diggle. I’m here to pick up my nephew.”

“Name?”

“Oliver Queen.”

The things John Diggle does for his students is someday gonna lead him to trouble.

Like tonight.

When Felicity Smoak showed up at school sometime after midnight raging, slamming doors and crying he was definitely concerned. He’d approached her because she was clearly upset about something and he’d vowed to himself, after what happened with previous pupil Floyd Lawton, to always look out for his students when they showed signs of trouble. And this looked like it was, he knew Felicity was outspoken about injustice and such but that didn’t mean she was an angry person. So when she showed up looking like she did he knew he had to help her out.

Apparently there was an altercation between Oliver and his father when the man showed up unannounced at an event where Oliver and Felicity were part of. John thought back to when Oliver first told him about his father getting violent with him and how much he disliked Oliver’s love for music. If Robert went to that benefit and saw Oliver perform, if he got his hands on his son again…John wondered if Robert did get physical with his son but Felicity assured him that Robert had just taken Oliver down to the police station.

Most likely to prove a point of who’s got the power.

_Please Mr.Diggle, you have to help him get out of there!_ John recalled how Felicity cried out as she told him that her mother had tried to bail Oliver out but since he wasn’t actually processed there was no bail needed. Mr. Queen had told the cops that Oliver could only be ‘bailed’ out by his family. But since Moira was still on her trip the only one who could bail Oliver out was the man who put him there.

Diggle made sure that Felicity had calmed down before he left to go get Oliver. She was very upset, and it proved to him that his suspicions about her feelings towards Oliver were true. That she really does care about him.

And that’s how John Diggle found himself lying to the cops in the middle of the night. It took some pleading but he managed to get the officer behind the desk to believe that he was in fact Oliver’s godfather not his uncle. The cop allowed him a couple of minutes with Oliver before he called Mr. Queen to confirm that Mr. Diggle could take Oliver home.

“There you are, bud!” John exclaimed as he approached the holding cell where Oliver was holed up.

“Uncle John?” Oliver hesitated as he got up from the cot he was laying on.

Poor guy looked so disheveled and out of place.

“Are you okay?”

“Fucking peachy, Digg.” Oliver sighed. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to get you—”

John didn’t get to finish as officer Henderson came back the cell area dangling a set of keys. The man eyed Mr. Diggle carefully. “Alright, Mayor Queen authorized Oliver’s release.” The officer pushed the key into the slot and freed Oliver. “I hope not to see you around here again, kid.”

Once outside of the police station John could see how restless Oliver was.

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Oliver broke the silence when they climbed into Diggle’s Jeep. “If my father is capable of throwing me in jail without batting an eyelash I don’t wanna know what he’s going to do to you for helping me.”

“Don’t worry about it…Oliver, if you ever need any help, anything at all, you can count on me.”

“Thanks, Digg. But I don’t wanna get you in trouble with my dad. Trust me, I’m not worth it.” Oliver said as he slumped in his seat in total defeat.

“There are so many wrong things with that statement. I’ll worry about your father.” Digg jams the keys into the ignition and starts the Jeep. “Enough of that, we’re going home. I bet Felicity is still waiting up for me to show up with you.”

John couldn’t suppress the smile that spread on his face when Oliver perked up at the mention of Felicity. These kids were so clueless when it came to each other, at first it was cute but now it’s starting to get ridiculous.

* * *

Felicity needed to do something while she waited for Diggle to get back. She could’ve gone back to her room and catch up with the girls about the events of that night but she needed to do something productive. Something that could help Oliver out.

She knew that his mother being gone was bothering him, and there was something suspicious about her sudden silence. Moira was supposedly on a girls trip through Spain, but according to Oliver the trip normally lasted about two weeks not a month long.

Maybe that would be a good place to start.

The first thing Felicity did was go to the computer lab and set off to hack Moira Queen’s bank accounts. And what she found was startling. Moira’s credit card transactions showed that she’s been staying at the Starling Grand Hotel since two weeks ago. Felicity took screenshots of her findings and filed it away on her draft box in her email.

This thing with Moira was very suspicious and it requires some more digging. So Felicity decided to trace Moira’s cellphone but came up empty. A burner phone however pinged it’s location at Starling Grand Hotel and it was the only one in Starling making phone calls to Thea’s school in Central City. That could only be Moira. But why is she using a burner phone? Maybe she’s hiding? If so then why? From who? And what’s the point of using a burner phone if she’s still using her credit cards?

Felicity tries to make sense of the situation looking at it rationally. First of all, Felicity knows Moira loves Oliver and would never abandon him. That’s all she can come up with. Felicity has more questions than answers but one thing is clear though, if Moira is hiding it’s definitely from Robert.

Which just means there’s only one thing left to do. Hack Robert Queen’s accounts.

Even though it’s late in Starling City it’s early over in London so it’s perfect time to call her father. Of course he picks up on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Dad.” Now she felt bad, he sounded groggy like he just woke up. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

“It’s all right, honey. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I just needed some help. Can you make sure this line is safe?”

“Gimme a minute. Okay, now it’s safe. No one can listen to this phone call. Felicity why on earth did I just do that for? What kind of trouble are you in?”

“Dad, I swear I’m not in any trouble, at least not yet.” She mutters under her breath, “I need a favor, I’d do it myself but I have to admit it’s out of my depth. I need you to hack someone’s accounts everything and anything that’s to their name and can be hacked I need to. I’m looking for information, anything that might look fishy. Fishy and official.”

“I thought I taught you how to do that, Honey, are you slacking on me?”

Felicity chuckles, “Never. But this person I need intel on is a government agent. So we’re not talking about just hacking his email, bank accounts. We’re talking about—”

“Hacking a Federal server possibly? And just who might this be?”

“Robert Queen. He’s the mayor.”

“Felicity! Why do you need me to hack his accounts?”

“I’ve already done it before, only his personal accounts I’m not a rookie, and what I found was pretty juicy. Imagine what can be found in encrypted servers? So far the only dirt I’ve got on him is that he had the Italian mob fund his mayoral campaign and now as the 51% owner of EWS, he uses the school for money laundering. This man is a total control freak, I know he’s got to be hiding something. His wife totally ghosted their son despite being in the same city, she’s let him believe that she’s not within reach. It’s a long story, but Dad I just wanna help my friend. Actually you know him, Oliver, he’s the guy I told you about.”

“Felicity, I thought we talked about this. You’re not old enough to be dating!”

“DAD! That’s not happening! OLIVER NEEDS HELP, NOW ARE YOU GOING TO HELP OR AM I GOING TO DO THIS ALONE? And trust me I will get in trouble because you haven’t taught how to hack federal servers!”

“Fine! I’ll help.”

“FINE! I’ll send over what I’ve gathered so far. Thanks, Dad. Sorry for using my loud voice on you.”

“Yeah, you remind me of your mother.” He chuckled. “I’ll get back to you, honey. Love you. Bye.”

“Bye, love you too.”

Okay. So at least her father would help her. Hopefully he’d have something for her soon.

* * *

“Seriously though, thanks Digg.” Oliver said as he hugged Diggle when they came through the entrance hall at the school. “You know Digg, you’re gonna be a great father one day.”

John smiled back at him. “That’s good to know.”

A couple of footsteps approached them, when they got louder they also became faster. Until it came into view. A blur of gray and a sparkly scarf and blonde hair rushed towards him. “Oliver!” She nearly knocked the air out of him when she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. “Oh my god, you’re okay. And you’re here! I can’t believe Diggle got you out.”

“Felicity.” He whispered in response and bound his arms around her too. He sunk his head into the crook of her neck, took a moment to appreciate her concern for him. “Thanks to you. You were the one that told Diggle how to get me out of there.”

“I did try to get you out.” She said as she pulled away, her hands trailing down his arms until they landed in his hands. “But they wouldn’t let you cone with us.”

Felicity turned to John, who was still smiling at the two idiots in front of him holding hands. “How did _you_ get him out?”

_Cute idiots_. John thought.

“He told them he was my uncle or something.” Oliver answered.

“And they bought that?!”

John chuckled, “Of course not. That’s why I told them I was his godfather.”

“That makes better sense.” Felicity commented.

* * *

 

On the way back to his room Oliver couldn’t stop thinking about what Felicity had done for him and how grateful he was for having her in his life. He was not expecting that from her, such compassion after all that love/hate relationship they’ve had since they met. Sometimes it’s hard to keep up and know if they’re hating each other or liking each other. Lately it’s been good like it was right before she left for London.

They’ve come a long way since.

But what really impressed Oliver was the way Felicity reacted when he came back with Diggle. When she came barreling through to welcome him back. He didn’t know or expect her to care this much. It was sweet and unexpected the moment when they hugged and held hands for a while. A moment that was broken up by Diggle who pointed out that they were holding hands.

What would Diggle say if he knew what Oliver was thinking about? He would tease the hell out of him that’s for sure.

Oliver jumped in the shower quickly before heading to bed, a couple of hours in a holding cell and he felt repulsive. How dare his father do that to him? Robert has reached a new level of asshole parenting and Oliver’s had enough of the man’s abusive behavior.

END OF CHAPTER 34

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! Feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks.  
> Follow me at sparklefics.tumblr.com


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